Key Takeaways
- The maximum supply of Bitcoin is 21 million, which will have been mined entirely by 2140.
- Once the total supply is mined, no additional BTC will be generated, leading to scarcity. Miners will most likely earn income only from transaction fees.
- The price and purchasing power of Bitcoin will adjust to the lack of new supply, and its scarcity will make it more attractive to users and investors.
One of the most frequently asked questions by market observers and investors concerns the future of Bitcoin when all 21 million coins are mined. This guide answers that question and explains its impact on the crypto market.
When Will the Last Bitcoin be mined?
With a maximum supply of 21 million coins that could ever be mined, Bitcoin is edging closer to reaching the point when no more mining will be possible. Unless there are serious forks or community-driven changes, experts believe the last satoshi will be mined around 2140, leading to 0% Bitcoin inflation. Then what?
How Bitcoin’s Fixed Supply (21M BTC) Affects its Value
The future of Bitcoin is tied to its hard cap of 21 million, which experts compare to DNA that cannot be altered, making it one of the most treasured digital assets today. As a digital equivalent of gold, the limited value makes it attractive because scarcity will eventually drive its value high, so people see it as a store of value. Unlike government-supplied money that can be printed anytime for various reasons, the limited supply of Bitcoin ensures that no one can dilute the value by issuing more monetary units.
Because of the basic principle of supply and demand, the value of a commodity increases as the supply decreases and vice versa. As of 2025, it is estimated that over 19.8 million Bitcoin has already been mined, meaning we have less than 1.2 million coins to go. Scarcity remains the largest part of what drives the digital asset, whose value now hovers around $100K per BTC. Satoshi Nakamoto baked the 21 million hard cap into code, meaning it can never be changed.
What Happens When all BTC is Mined?
It is estimated that the last Bitcoin will be mined around 2140, and after that, no more new Bitcoin will be created or issued into the market. Once this has happened, Bitcoin miners will no longer depend on the rewards they earn by adding new blocks to the blockchain. Instead, they will likely rely on transaction fees to maintain the blockchain and validate transactions.
Will Miners Still Be Profitable?
Once miners divert their efforts away from block rewards, transaction fees may increase to motivate miners to continue securing the network. This will ensure that they maintain a robust network and continue processing transactions with costs expected to be high enough to offer fair, justifiable, and profitable incomes. This could be possible given Bitcoin’s potential as a store of value, and with no more inflows of coins, the scarcity will induce an appreciation as it becomes more sought after. It is also possible that miners will turn to other innovative solutions like repurposing the heat generated during mining operations from domestic or agricultural uses for additional revenue.
Predictions for Bitcoin’s Price and Role in Global Finance
The digital asset becomes the hardest currency as Bitcoin’s inflationary rate gets reduced by half every four years due to the halving event. For example, after the 2016 halving, the block subsidy dropped from 12.5 Bitcoins to 6.25 BTC. BTC’s inflation rate fell from 3.7% to 1.8%, less than the USD’s 2%. The last halving event in 2024 made BTC less inflationary than gold. As a result, the price of goods and services in Bitcoin will reduce as its value increases. For the economists who worry about Bitcoin’s deflationary nature and whether it will make it difficult for the digital asset to support the economy because there will be too few to go around, the answer is found in Bitcoin’s divisibility, seeing that BTC is divisible into 100 million units called satoshis. As BTC’s value rises, those smaller amounts will possess more purchasing power.
Conclusion
The 21-million hard cap guarantees the future of Bitcoin since it’s not just a number but a promise that the BTC community is obliged to keep. As Bitcoin’s popularity increases and it becomes more accepted, the scarcity that comes when the last Bitcoin is a part of what makes it a unique cryptocurrency.
