Bitcoin price history,
one year at a time.
“If only I'd bought one ten years ago.” Almost every newcomer thinks it. Line up every year's price, though, and you see that the people who made it to today sat through several 50%+ crashes.
How much was bitcoin at the start?
| When | Price | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | No price | Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first block; bitcoin circulated among hobbyists |
| May 22, 2010 | 10,000 BTC for two pizzas | The first well-known purchase, now “Bitcoin Pizza Day” |
| Jul 2010 | About $0.08 | Mt. Gox opened and bitcoin got a public price |
| Feb 2011 | $1 | Parity with the dollar for the first time |
| Dec 2013 | About $1,150 | First time above $1,000 |
How did people get bitcoin back then? Mostly by mining on ordinary computers or swapping small amounts on forums. Nobody saw it as an investment, which is part of why it later rose millions of times.
Bitcoin price history by year (2013–2026)
| Year | Year-end price | Change that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | About 728 | +5,286% |
| 2014 | About 317 | -56% |
| 2015 | About 429 | +35% |
| 2016 | About 967 | +125% |
| 2017 | About 13,800 | +1,328% |
| 2018 | About 3,831 | -72% |
| 2019 | About 7,208 | +88% |
| 2020 | About 28,933 | +301% |
| 2021 | About 46,218 | +60% |
| 2022 | About 16,564 | -64% |
| 2023 | About 42,323 | +156% |
| 2024 | About 93,780 | +122% |
| 2025 | About 87,711 | -6% |
| 2026 (to Sept 28) | About 83,447 | -5% |
Sources: Chartrow bitcoin returns, Fortune. Of 13 full years, 9 were up and 4 down; the worst year lost 72%.
How much did bitcoin rise in ten years? Try it
Pick a year and see what bitcoin bought at that year's close would be worth on Sept 28, 2026:
From the end of 2016 to now it's about 86×; from the end of 2015, about 194×. The same chart also shows that buyers at the end of 2017 waited three years to break even, and buyers at the end of 2021 over two years. The long climb is made of repeated drops that tempt you to quit.
What is bitcoin's all-time high, and when was it?
| When | High (approx.) | Largest fall afterwards |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2013 | $1,150 | About -85% |
| Dec 2017 | $19,700 | About -84% |
| Nov 2021 | $69,000 | About -77% |
| Oct 6, 2025 | $126,000 | About -52% so far (low near $60,000 on Feb 6, 2026) |
Bitcoin's all-time high is about $126,000, set in October 2025. It hasn't been beaten in the year since, and in late September 2026 bitcoin was still about a third lower.
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Why is bitcoin going up? Why is it going down?
Common reasons it rises
- Fixed supply: 21 million coins, with new issuance halved every four years.
- New money: US spot ETFs and listed companies holding bitcoin on their balance sheets.
- Easy money: when rates fall, investors take more risk.
Common reasons it falls
- Rates and macro: hikes, tariffs and wars pull money out of risky assets; on the day of the September 2026 Fed hike bitcoin dipped to about $75,700.
- Leverage unwinds: falling prices trigger liquidations, which push prices lower still. Most “why is bitcoin crashing today” days look like this.
- Industry accidents: exchange failures, hacks, stablecoins losing their peg.
- Profit-taking: early holders and miners sell after big rises.
Any day's move can be explained afterwards with a headline; nobody can predict it reliably beforehand. See also Tencent News.
Bitcoin price history
FAQ.
01How much was bitcoin in 2010?
About $0.08 when it first had a public price in July 2010; earlier, 10,000 BTC bought two pizzas.
02How much was bitcoin 10 years ago?
About $967 at the end of 2016, versus about $83,000 in late September 2026, roughly 86× higher.
03What is bitcoin's all-time high?
About $126,000, around Oct 6, 2025.
04Which year did bitcoin peak?
2025. Earlier cycle highs came in 2013, 2017 and 2021.
05How much did bitcoin rise in ten years?
Using year-end prices, about 86× from the end of 2016 and about 194× from the end of 2015.
06What was bitcoin's worst year?
2018, down about 72%. The worst single day was around March 12, 2020, when it roughly halved.
07Why is bitcoin going down today?
Daily drops usually come from macro news and leverage unwinds. Check the OKX app and the news, but don't trade on a single headline.
08Is it too late to buy bitcoin?
Nobody knows. Rather than worrying about timing, use spare money, buy in parts and accept that it could fall another 30%–50%.
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