0

totalbc - Total Bitcoins in circulation (delayed by up to 1 hour])

Source: https://blockchain.info/q/

https://blockchain.info/q/totalbc

1865520600000000

It seems like it actually gives the value in satoshis for some reason, but that's not the really confusing part.

What I wonder is if this value really represents the "total Bitcoins in circulation", or just "total Bitcoins mined". Does it account for the "lost" Bitcoins which will never again be possible for anyone to use because the private keys are no longer accessible by any human or machine?

If not, is there a source which lets me grab that number? It's pretty useless to know how many Bitcoins have been mined; I want to know how many currently "really exist", as in, are actually in circulation, or can be "circulated".

D P
  • 1
  • 1
    I think it's total BTC supply that exists right now: 1865520600000000/100,000,000 = 18,655,200 BTC. It's difficult and almost impossible to know who lost the private key for their bitcoin. Best you can do is look at UTXOs not active from long time. –  Mar 16 '21 at 04:36
  • @Prayank Um... You mean the ones mined -- not in circulation? – D P Mar 16 '21 at 04:40
  • 2
    If you define "in circulation" as "could be moved", the answer is unknownable, simply because there is no registry of people who have lost their keys. That said, there are many coins that are known to be unmovable; I have an answer about that here: https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/38998/208 – Pieter Wuille Mar 16 '21 at 05:27

0 Answers0