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Satoshi’s Lost-Coin Quote Hits 16-Year Mark as Millions of BTC Are Deemed Lost
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Sixteen years ago today, Bitcoin ’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, told a Bitcointalk user that losing coins was not a flaw in the system.
Key facts
- Several reports put the number at about 3.1 million BTC, with a central range of 2.7 million to 3.9 million BTC and a wider envelope of 2.3 million to 5.25 million BTC
- Glassnode’s supply-by-age data for June 20, 2026, shows 3.557 million BTC untouched for more than 10 years, 1.690 million BTC sitting in the 7-to-10-year range, and 1.479 million BTC
- Against current circulating supply of 20,045,680.42 BTC, tracked by Glassnode as of June 20, 2026, that midpoint equals roughly 15.5% of all mined bitcoin
- Their count: 3,197.61 BTC permanently destroyed through block 840,682, dated April 24, 2024
Summary
Researchers estimate 3.1 million BTC permanently lost as of June 20, 2026. River’s 2025 report found 1.57 million BTC lost in self-custody, mostly before 2020. El Khatib and Legout confirmed only 3,197.61 BTC as provably burned through April 2024. The discussion happened 16 years ago today, on June 21, 2010, in a Bitcointalk thread called “Dying bitcoins.” A user had asked whether forgotten wallets meant the network would shrink over time.