The 1 BTC club: Why you’re rarer than you think
If you own at least 1 Bitcoin, get ready for your ego to be tickled.
According to blockchain data, around 827,000-900,000 addresses currently hold at least 1 Bitcoin (BTC). But many of these wallets are controlled by exchanges, institutions or individuals who split holdings across multiple addresses. The real number of unique people who own 1 Bitcoin is likely closer to 800,000-850,000.
That’s an incredibly small group. Out of 8 billion people globally, this means owning 1 BTC applies to just 0.01%-0.02% of the population.
It’s unequally distributed, too. In 2025, about 0.18% of cryptocurrency owners actually hold a full Bitcoin or more, meaning fewer than two in every 1,000 crypto participants have reached the 1-BTC milestone.
How much Bitcoin do you need to be rich?
With the Bitcoin price today above $120,000, owning a single coin costs more than many people can afford to risk.
To allocate $120,000 to a single volatile asset like Bitcoin, you need both high income and high conviction. The average person may admire Bitcoin from a distance, but few can take the plunge without overexposing themselves.
There are around 16 million millionaires globally, yet fewer than 900,000 people actually hold 1 BTC or more. Owning 1 Bitcoin, then, is rarer than millionaire status. That should shift the question from “How much Bitcoin do you need to be rich?” to “What happens if you own 1 Bitcoin?” The answer: You’re already in elite company.
Did you know? NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. converted his 2021 NFL salary into Bitcoin. His initial $750,000 would be worth around $1.35 million after BTC surged past $123,000 in mid-2025.
Bitcoin scarcity: There’s not enough for everyone anyway
Only 21 million will ever exist — and most are already taken.
Satoshi Nakamoto designed Bitcoin with a hard cap of 21 million coins. As of mid-2025, more than 19.8 million BTC has already been mined through Bitcoin mining, leaving less than 1.2 million yet to be created. Add in lost coins and hoarded supply, and the available pool shrinks even further.
This is where things get tight. The richest players (the whales) own the majority. About 1.86% of all Bitcoin addresses control 90% of the supply. Major exchanges, early adopters and institutional custodians dominate the ledger. Just four addresses holding between 100,000 and 1 million BTC collectively own 14% of all coins. The top 100 addresses hold over 58%.
So if you’re wondering, “Is owning 1 Bitcoin enough?” the answer is yes because most people never will. With Bitcoin tax policies tightening and investing in Bitcoin getting more competitive, the climb to whole-coin status isn’t getting easier.
Did you know? Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, is believed to hold between 750,000 and 1.1 million BTC, valued at an estimated $92 billion-$135 billion in mid-2025.
Bitcoin ownership is unevenly distributed in 2025
Global Bitcoin ownership distribution highlights deep access divides.
Roughly 6.8% of the global population — around 560 million people — owns cryptocurrency, according to a 2024 Triple-A survey. But only a small subset within that group holds enough BTC to reach whole-coin status. Most possess less than 0.01 BTC, reinforcing just how far out of reach owning 1 BTC remains for the majority.
The barriers are infrastructural, too. An estimated 1.4 billion adults remain unbanked, with limited internet, digital identity or access to crypto services.
Even in regions where mobile money is popular, such as Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia, users still face Know Your Customer (KYC) restrictions, high on-ramp fees or uncertain Bitcoin tax rules. This makes investing in Bitcoin practically unreachable for millions despite its borderless promise.
Is owning 1 Bitcoin enough? For many, it’s still too risky
Psychological and behavioral barriers make full Bitcoin ownership a non-starter.
Even with access and capital, there’s still the fear factor. Bitcoin mining and trading activity in 2025 have produced wild price swings. From surging past $109,000 to plunging back to the mid-$70,000s in a matter of weeks, Bitcoin’s volatility can be paralyzing — especially for those unaccustomed to 20%-30% drawdowns.
Beyond price action, Bitcoin still carries the stigma of speculation. To many, it remains a volatile asset rather than a store of value.
High-profile voices (Robert Shiller, Warren Buffett, George Soros) have labeled it everything from a bubble to a Ponzi-like scheme. Add to that real cases of coordinated manipulation, and it’s no surprise that many wonder whether owning 1 Bitcoin has any long-term meaning — or if it’s just a high-risk gamble.
Did you know? Some of the world’s top investors have slammed Bitcoin as a bubble. Nobel laureate Robert Shiller called it “the best example of a speculative mania”; Warren Buffett dubbed it “rat poison squared”; and George Soros labeled it “a typical bubble” at Davos (though his fund later explored crypto trading).
Owning a full Bitcoin in 2025: Here’s how to get there
Strategies to reach 1 BTC do exist but still require time, risk or capital.
The most straightforward path is accumulation through dollar-cost averaging (DCA). By regularly investing a fixed amount, buyers can ride out volatility and build their way toward 1 BTC without the psychological strain of lump-sum purchases.
Others use yield-generating crypto programs to boost returns, but these carry added risk.
For high earners, full-coin accumulation often just means diverting disposable income. For companies like Strategy or Tesla, buying Bitcoin directly with reserves has made them corporate whales — proof that owning a full Bitcoin in 2025 is easier when you operate at scale.
Access is also expanding. Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) launched in 2024, letting people buy Bitcoin through traditional brokerage accounts. These products — like BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC — have brought in over $120 billion, offering new, regulated on-ramps for mainstream investors.
As a final thought, those working in Web3 should consider whether their company offers salaries in crypto. If paid in Tether’s USDt (USDT), employees can easily convert a portion into Bitcoin each month with minimal fees, and in some cases, it may even be possible to receive a full salary in Bitcoin.