5 Bitcoin whale statistics
1. Satoshi Nakamoto owns 5.2% of the total Bitcoin supply
And there's more! Satoshi Nakamoto is the creator of Bitcoin and, in many ways, the crypto-currency industry. In the early days after launch in 2009 and 2010, Nakamoto was one of the very few users of the network, enabling him to mine around 1.1 million Bitcoins, or 5.2% of the total supply.
2. Satoshi Nakamoto was the 14th richest person in the world at Bitcoin's historic peak!
Bitcoin reached an all-time high of $68,789 in November 2021. This brings Satoshi Nakamoto's wealth to an incredible $75.7 billion! Looking at the Forbes rich list, that would put Nakamoto as the 14th richest person in the world. Of course, the 1.1 million Bitcoins is just an estimate, and we don't even know if Nakamoto is a person (source: Forbes).
3. Satoshi Nakamoto would become the richest person in the world if Bitcoin reached a price of $165,000.
At the time of writing, the richest person in the world is French business tycoon Bernard Arnault, who recently overtook Elon Musk. Forbes estimates that he is worth an incredible $181.8 billion! If the price of Bitcoin rose to $165,000, Satoshi Nakamoto would overtake him.
4. The top 10,000 individual investors control about a third of Bitcoin's supply.
Bitcoin is known for its decentralisation, but there is a set of investors who own a large portion of the supply. The top 10,000 investors own more than a third of all Bitcoins (source: NBER).
5. Around fifty miners control half of Bitcoin's mining capacity
While critics point to the high concentration of miners as a cause for concern, this is a positive sign for the network. With 50 miners controlling half of the mining capacity, the network is well-positioned for continued growth and stability. Theoretically, these miners could collude to launch a 51% attack on the network – although in reality, economic incentives mean this remains unlikely (source: NBER).