Cryptocurrency has grown rapidly since the launch of Bitcoin in 2009, and currently, the total number of cryptocurrencies in the world is in the thousands. More people are also using cryptocurrencies in payments and remittances even as the crypto market grows with more people adding crypto to their investment strategies.
This page provides the top cryptocurrency statistics for 2022 across market growth, user adoption and ownership among others.
The highlight stats
- The crypto market has grown from 1coin in 2009 to over 21,000 cryptocurrencies in 2022, and there are also more than 500 crypto exchange platforms.
- The global crypto market cap reached $3 trillion in 2021, equivalent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the world’s 7th largest economy.
- 4.2% of the global population owns cryptocurrencies in 2022, with estimates putting crypto ownership at 320 million people.
- 52% of crypto owners, which is over 166 million people, consider their cryptocurrency holdings as a source of income.
- 85% of global retail companies accept cryptocurrency payments
The number of cryptocurrencies and crypto exchanges is growing
1. There are over 21,000 cryptocurrencies as of 2022
Bitcoin might have been the first cryptocurrency, but it’s seen several thousands more created since its launch in 2009. According to CoinMarketCap, there were 21,542 cryptocurrencies as of October 2022.
2. There are more than 500 cryptocurrency exchanges
The number of cryptocurrency exchanges have grown from around 380 in 2020 to over 500 in 2022. Coin tracking firm CoinMarketCap tracks 521 cryptocurrency exchanges while CoinGecko lists 537 as of 27th October 2022.
3. There are over 100 decentralised exchanges (DEXs) and 281 DEX coins in 2022
Of the over 500 crypto exchanges, over 100 are decentralised exchanges (DEXs). These have increased sharply from the second-half of 2020, with the number of DEX coins also rising to hit 281 in 2022, according to data from CoinGecko. Uniswap (UNI) is the top DEX token with a market cap of over $5.3 billion.
4. Top 10 exchanges account for 80% of daily trading volume
Crypto users trust the top 10 top 10 exchanges more and that has nearly 80% of daily trading volume registered on these platforms.
5. 79% of crypto exchanges implement KYC
79% of crypto exchanges implemented KYC checks as of October 2022, according to a report by blockchain security and analytics firm CipherTrace. As cited in CryptoCompare’s Exchange Benchmark October 2022 report, the number of exchanges implementing KYC more than doubled from the 35% recorded in April 2022
Growth in cryptocurrency market capitalization
6. The global cryptocurrency market capitalization hit $3 trillion in 2021, comparable to the world’s 7th largest economy that year
The total cryptocurrency market cap rose to over $3 trillion in 2021 as the bull market pushed crypto prices to new highs. Comparatively, data on the world’s largest economies in 2021 ranked France 7th with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $2.93 trillion, meaning the global market cap at its peak in 2021 was larger than the GDP of France. Indeed India ranked 6th with a GDP of $3.17 trillion and UK’s GDP in 2021 was $3.18 trillion to rank as the world’s 5th largest.
7. Bitcoin’s market cap hit $1.15 trillion in 2021, or equivalent to the GDP of the world’s 17th largest economy
Bitcoin’s market cap reached $1.15 trillion in November 2021, doing so as BTC price rallied to it’s all-time high above $69,000. At that level, Bitcoin’s total market cap was equivalent to the GDP of Netherlands, the world’s 17th largest economy in 2022.
8. The global crypto market cap is $1.02 trillion in October 2022, about the size of the world’s 6th largest company by market cap
The total cryptocurrency market capitalization is $1.02 trillion on 28th October 2022. This is almost comparable to Tesla ($1.03 trillion), the world’s 6th largest company as ranked on Statista’s list of world’s top companies by market cap.
9. Bitcoin accounts for 40% of total global cryptocurrency market cap
Bitcoin is the pioneer cryptocurrency and has maintained its market dominance since, with the current market share just under 40%. Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, currently accounts for 19% of the global crypto market share.
10. Top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap make up over 80% of total crypto market value
Bitcoin and the top ten cryptocurrencies by market cap account for over $810 billion of the $1.02 trillion in October 2022. These coins and tokens make up more than 80% of the total crypto market cap.
11. Bitcoin makes up nearly 50% of the market cap of top 10 cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin’s current market cap of $386 billion is nearly half of the total market cap of the 10 largest cryptocurrencies. The benchmark crypto accounts for 48.7% of the market value of the top 10 largest cryptocurrencies by market cap, where we currently have:
- Ethereum (ETH) – $191 billion
- Tether (USDT) – $68 billion
- Binance Coin (BNB) – $46 billion
- USD Coin (USDC) – $43 billion
- XRP (XRP) – $24.6 billion
- Binance USD (BUSD) – $21.6 billion
- Cardano (ADA) – $12.7 billion
- Solana (SOL) – $11.2 billion
- Dogecoin (DOGE) – $10.9 billion
12. 50 cryptocurrencies have a market capitalization of at least $1 billion
According to CoinMarketCap data, all the top 50 cryptocurrencies have a market capitalisation of at least $1 billion. The 50th largest crypto by market cap is the recently launched Aptos (APT), which has a market cap of $1,039,355,606 as of 28 October 2022.
13. The top 750 cryptocurrencies have a market cap of $10 million or more
The top 750 of the thousands of cryptocurrencies in the market all have a market cap of $10 million or more, data shows. The number has reduced significantly from 2021, where more than 1000 cryptocurrencies hit market caps above $10 million amid the bull market.
14. Global crypto market cap fell nearly 70% in 2022
The global crypto market lost nearly 70% of its market cap in 2022 as crashing prices amid a crypto winter wiped out more than $2 trillion. The total market cap decreased below $900 billion as prices fell, with the most losses in Q2 according to a CoinMarketCap and TokenInsight: Q3 2022 Crypto Market Report.
15. Global crypto market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 56.4% to 2025
Despite the global crypto market shrinking massively in 2022, experts forecast the market will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 56.4% to 2025.
Crypto adoption and ownership
16. Crypto users population grew 178% in 2021
The global crypto user numbers reached 300 million in 2021, growing by more than 178% over the year as more people bought and used crypto. The crypto ownership total was about 100 at the start of January 2021.
17. 4.2% of global population owns cryptocurrencies
There more than 320 million people estimated to own cryptocurrencies worldwide in 2022, translating to a global crypto adoption rate of 4.2%.
18. India has the largest number of cryptocurrency holders in the world with more than 100 million
India tops the list of countries with the largest number of cryptocurrency users in 2022, with more than 100 million people invested in or using crypto across the country.
19. Nearly 13% of male internet users aged 16-64 own at least one cryptocurrency
Research shows that globally, about 13% male internet users in the 16-64 age bracket, own at least one cryptocurrency. In comparison, only 7% of women who use the internet and in the same age bracket own crypto.
20. Over 63% of crypto owners are male
More men than women own and use cryptocurrencies than women, according to recent research data, with 63% for males compared to 37% for women.
21. The average crypto holder has an income of $25,000 annually
According to a Binance crypto index report from 2021, crypto owners have an average annual income of $25,000.
22. Approximately 76% of crypto buyers in 2021 were Millennials
In 2021, more than 76% of crypto owners were millennials, with that percentage among the age 18-40 years growing to 94% when including Gen Z.
23. Gen X spend more on crypto purchases than Millennials and Gen Z
According to a study from 2021, Gen Xers spend an average of $9,611 on crypto purchases, more when compared to $8,596 by Millennials and $6,120 by Gen Zers.
24. More than 52% of cryptocurrency owners consider it a source of income
52% of crypto owners consider their holdings as a source of income, according to The 2021 Global Crypto User Index report published by Binance. That’s over 166 million people of the 320 million that are estimated to currently own or use crypto.
25. Nearly 48 million crypto holder consider their holdings a primary source of income
About 15% of the people who use crypto, or close to 48 million, say their crypto assets are a primary source of income.
26. 55% of crypto investors see the crypto asset class as a long-term investment strategy
As well as finding that most people use cryptocurrencies as a source of income, Binance Research also revealed that 55% of users hold crypto as a long term investment. 31% of holders said they see crypto as a short term trading opportunity.
27. More than 65% of cryptocurrency users also own Bitcoin
Bitcoin’s popularity as a top cryptocurrency sees it remain part of the holdings of most crypto users. As of 2022, over 65% of crypto users said they also held Bitcoin.
28. 80% of crypto users rely on online channels as source of information
Most people, 80% of those using or holding crypto, say they get crypto-related information via online channels.
Cryptocurrency trading
29. About 2 in every 10 adults invest in or trade cryptocurrency
About 21 of adults, or about 2 in every 10 adults have either invested in or traded cryptocurrency, according to a recent survey by NBC News. In the United States, the number stood around 59 million people as of 2022.
30. Approximately $87 billion in crypto is traded per day
Cryptocurrency records nearly $87 billion in daily trading volume per day, according to market data.
31. Tether (USDT) has the highest daily trading volume
Although Bitcoin is the most popular and largest cryptocurrency by market cap, Tether leads in terms of daily trading volume. According to CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin currently has the second highest, followed by Ethereum, Binance USD and USD Coin.
32. The US Dollar is the most traded currency pair in crypto
The US dollar accounts for 73% of the trading volume between fiat currencies and Bitcoin, with USD the default trading currency across most crypto wallets. USDT is the most traded USD-pegged stablecoin against Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
33. There were close to 39,000 Crypto ATMs in 2022
As of October 2022, there were 38,621 crypto automated teller machines (ATMs), up from 14,000 in January 2021. People can buy and sell cryptocurrencies at such crypto ATMs.
Cryptocurrency wallets usage
34. There were 84 million crypto wallets in use by August 2022.
The number of people using personal crypto wallets to store their assets increased significantly between 2020 and 2022. Crypto wallet users grew from 68 million in early 2021 to more than 84 million in August 2022. The number is expected to increase rapidly as more people move their assets off exchanges.
35. 60% of people store their crypto on exchanges
While more people are increasingly concerned about the security of their coins on exchanges, a disproportionately huge number still rely on crypto exchanges like Binance and Coinbase. According to Binance Research data, 60% of the general crypto user population store their crypto on exchanges.
36. A quarter of crypto supply is stored in cold wallets
26% of crypto owners use cold wallets, while 11% of digital assets are kept in hot wallets and 3% stored in other different ways, including paper wallets.
Global interest in cryptocurrencies in 2017 and 2021
37. Worldwide search interest in the term cryptocurrency peaked in Dec 2017
Worldwide interest in cryptocurrencies as per internet searches rose sharply in 2017 as prices of various assets skyrocketed, before falling sharply in January 2018 as the bear market hit.
38. Interest in cryptocurrencies spiked again 2021 but did not match 2017 levels
Global search data from Google Trends shows that interest shot up once again between December 2020 and May 2021, with searches for the term cryptocurrencies declining again as Bitcoin and altcoin prices fell amid a crackdown on cryptocurrencies in China.
39. Nigeria leads globally in internet searches for the term cryptocurrency since 2017
Nigeria recorded the most searches for the term cryptocurrency worldwide between 2017 and 2022, with interest and adoption rising sharply in the African nation. As per Google Trends search interest scores, Nigeria ranks first with 100 over the 5-year period, followed by Singapore (57) and United Arab Emirates (48).
Cryptocurrency adoption in payments and remittances
40. More than 18,000 businesses worldwide accept cryptocurrency payments
Growth in crypto payments now sees more than 18,000 businesses around the world accept cryptocurrencies, with integration across major ecommerce stores and online wallets set to trigger further growth.
41. 85% of global retail giants accept cryptocurrency payments
While about 46% of small retailers accept crypto, 85% of companies with $1 billion or more in annual online sales already support crypto payments.
42. 85%+ of US merchants consider support for cryptocurrency payments a priority
A Deloitte study in June 2022 found that more than 85% of US merchants consider adding support for crypto payments a priority amid growing customer demand.
43. Nearly 75% of retailers worldwide will accept crypto by 2024
Almost three quarters of retailers across the globe will accept crypto payments by 2024, according to a study conducted in 2022 involving over 2,000 senior executives in the industry.
44. The global crypto remittances market is projected to grow to $428 billion by 2025
Growth in cross-border payments and remittances will grow to $428 billion by 2025, according to a recent survey report from Juniper Research. Comparatively, the global remittance market is estimated to grow to $1.413 trillion by 2025.
45. 15.8% of remittances use via crypto
About 15.8% of cross-border remittances are already being done via cryptocurrency, which is faster and way cheaper than legacy methods.
Conclusion
Cryptocurrency’s use across the payments, decentralised finance and investment spaces continues to grow, with projections of ownership suggesting the path towards the first 1 billion users is not far. Bitcoin and Ethereum also remain the top two by market cap, but stablecoins, DeFi and DEX tokens are also huge in 2022.