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BITCOIN LOST & DORMANT SUPPLY

How much Bitcoin is lost or just sleeping?

Coins that have not moved in ten years or more. Some are lost forever, some are patiently held, and the chain cannot tell which.

Usually daily
Bitcoin untouched for 10, 12, and 15 or more years over time chartmaketomaketo.com/indicator/lost-or-sleeping-coins0.001.002.003.0020192020202120222023202420252026NOW3.56 M BTC
10+ years12+ years15+ years

The lines nest inside each other: every fifteen-year coin is also a twelve-year and a ten-year coin, so they are never added together. Each line starts the day Bitcoin first became old enough for it.

10+ years (selected). Latest displayed reading: 3.56 M BTC on Aug 9, 2026. This view shows 2,770 dated readings from Jan 9, 2019 to Aug 9, 2026. The latest displayed reading is higher than the first. The displayed low is 0.01 M BTC on Jan 9, 2019. The displayed high is 3.56 M BTC on Aug 9, 2026.

12+ years. Latest displayed reading: 3.12 M BTC on Aug 9, 2026. This view shows 2,770 dated readings from Jan 9, 2019 to Aug 9, 2026. The latest displayed reading is higher than the first. The displayed low is 0.00 M BTC on Jan 9, 2019. The displayed high is 3.12 M BTC on Aug 9, 2026.

15+ years. Latest displayed reading: 2.17 M BTC on Aug 9, 2026. This view shows 2,770 dated readings from Jan 9, 2019 to Aug 9, 2026. The latest displayed reading is higher than the first. The displayed low is 0.00 M BTC on Jan 9, 2019. The displayed high is 2.17 M BTC on Aug 9, 2026.

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Arrow keys move one plotted point. Home and End jump to the first and latest points.

  • 10+ years (selected): 3.56 M BTC
  • 12+ years: 3.12 M BTC
  • 15+ years: 2.17 M BTC

  1. How much Bitcoin has not moved in ten years?

    3.56M BTC

    3.56M BTC has sat completely untouched for at least ten years. That is 17.8% of every Bitcoin in circulation.

    The chain shows exactly when each coin last moved. It cannot show whether the owner still holds the keys.

  2. Can anyone tell lost coins from sleeping coins?

    No. A coin lost to a forgotten password looks identical to a coin held on purpose. Ten years without a move is the standard proxy for "probably not coming back", and the deeper cuts below make the guess stronger, because the oldest coins date from when Bitcoin was nearly free and easy to lose.

  3. How deep does the sleep go?

    3.12M BTC
    untouched 12+ years (15.6% of all coins)
    2.17M BTC
    untouched 15+ years (10.8% of all coins)

    The fifteen-year core reaches back to Bitcoin's first two years, including the coins attributed to its creator. Each count contains the next, so they nest rather than add.

  4. Is the sleeping pile growing?

    Grew by 231,935 BTC

    Over the past year, more coins crossed the ten-year mark than woke up and moved. The pile of sleeping coins got bigger.

    Coins age into this group every day; they only leave by moving.

  5. What does this mean for you?

    Sleeping coins shrink the real supply: whatever never moves cannot be sold, so the Bitcoin actually available to buy is smaller than the headline total. A steadily growing pile is the market's patience made visible. The thing to watch is the exception, old coins waking up in size, and the Old Coins Moving page rings that bell.

Understanding Bitcoin Lost & Dormant Supply

A coin joins this page when it has sat untouched for at least ten years. The chain shows exactly when every coin last moved, so the count itself is precise. What the chain cannot show is why: a coin lost to a forgotten password looks identical to a coin held on purpose.

The deeper cuts sharpen the guess. Coins untouched for fifteen years or more date back to Bitcoin's first two years, when coins were nearly free, wallets were fragile, and careless loss was common. That core is the strongest candidate for truly lost coins, including the coins attributed to Bitcoin's creator.

The three counts nest inside each other. Every fifteen-year coin is also a twelve-year coin and a ten-year coin, so the lines sit inside one another and are never added together. Each line also begins on the day Bitcoin first became old enough for it: the ten-year line in 2019, the fifteen-year line in 2024.

Sleeping coins matter because they shrink the real supply. Coins that never move cannot be sold, so the Bitcoin actually available to buy is smaller than the total suggests. And when genuinely old coins do wake up, the Old Coins Moving page catches it.