Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have been in the digital marketplace for a while, but they weren’t popular until 2021, when digital images became major investment opportunities.
With the emergence of more crypto exchanges that support NFTs, the demand for these rare, unique, and indivisible digital assets is likely to continue skyrocketing.
This article provides a detailed summary of NFT statistics to give people a clear picture of the future of NFTs. Read on for 40+ most interesting NFT statistics today, starting with the highlights below.
Key stats for NFTs
- The first NTF was created in 2014 and sold a few years later for $1.4 million.
- Over 240 million people own NFTs worldwide, with Millennials accounting for the highest number of owners by age group.
- 98 million people in India have bought, owned or traded NFTs, the largest percentage by country population.
- The Merge, sold as a series of NFTs, is the most expensive NTF to date. It was sold for $91.8 million.
- More than half of NTF sales are under $200.
NTF sales and trading volume statistics
1. The first NFT sold for of $1.4 million
In May 2014, Kevin McCoy and Anil Dash minted the first NFT, ‘Quantum.’ They sold it a few years later for $1.4 million.
2. There have been over 43 million NFT sales
More than 43 million NFTs have been successfully sold, generating more than $36,290,000,000 in trade volume. Approximately 20,000,000 of the sales are primary and 23 million have been secondary.
3. Average time between purchase and NFT resale is just 48 days
An average of 48 days is the time it takes for a NFT buyer to resell their collection. However, the average time between purchase and resale for art NFTs is just 33 days, according to Art Market data for 2022.
4. The NFT market is worth approximately $11.3 billion
NTF transactions in 2018 were worth $40.96 million. As the demand for cryptocurrency increased, the NTF transactions also improved until the market’s value hit $100 million in 2020. By late 2022, this amount had multiplied several times, rising to $11.3 billion.
5. Approximately 50% of NTF sales are below $200
While there have been some staggering NFT pricings that run into multi-million dollar tags, it’s interesting to note that approximately half of all the recorded NTF sales are below $200.
6. NFT sales jumped 2,627% in first three months of 2021
DappRadar data showed that as NFTs interest rose in 2021, over $1.5 billion in sales was transacted in the first quarter of the year, up 2,627%.
7. NFT trading volume jumped 700% in the second half of 2021
The NFT market’s 2021 boom saw trading volumes jump more than 700% in the second half of the year, with global volumes hitting $10.7 billion.
8. NFT creators earned $1.8 billion in royalties in 2021
Amid the crypto and NFT boom of 2021, data compiled by Galaxy Digital showed secondary sales generated over $1.8 billion in royalties paid to creators.
9. Yuga Labs collected over $147 million in royalties in a year
While 482 collections generated 80% of NFT royalties in the past year, Yuga Labs collected the most in payments from secondary sales netting over $147 million. Art Blocks, OpenSea Storefront and Chiru Labs all collected more than $50 million in royalty payments.
10. NFT secondary sales profit fell 84% in 2022
As crypto winter hit the broader sector, the NFTs space saw secondary sales profit decrease by a staggering 84%. According to a Nonfungible.com report, resell losses hit $783 million in Q3 2022, mirroring losses across many of the major crypto assets.
11. NFT sales volume is $3.4 billion
According to DappRadar, NFT sales volume declined from $12.5 billion at the 2021 peak to $3.4 billion in October 2022.
NFT marketplaces and top NFT collections
12. OpenSea NFT marketplace valuation hit $13.3 billion
OpenSea is the largest and most popular NTF marketplace. The platform’s valuation rose sharply from $1.5 billion in July 2021 to $13.3 billion in January 2022. The marketplace was established in 2017.
13. OpenSea was among the 936 companies classed as “unicorns” in December 2021
In December 2021, 936 companies were classed as “unicorns.” Out of this were 194 fintech startups, and OpenSea NFT was among these startups.
14. Approximately 250,000 people trade NFTs on OpenSea every month
The monthly active users figure on OpenSea is around 250,000 people, an estimate of actively traded NFTs accounts.
15. The most expensive NFT ‘The Merge’ sold for $91.8 million
‘The Merge’, an NFT series by pseudonymous artist Pak sold for a total of $91.8 million on Nifty Gateway, becoming the most expensive NTF sale to date.
16. Beeple’s ‘Everydays’ NFT is the second most expensive NTF sale at $69.3 million
Beeple created ‘Everydays: The First 5000 Days’ and sold it for a staggering $ 69.3 million. The NTF project is the second most expensive sale.
17. Axie Infinity has the most NFT sales at over $4.26 billion
Axie Infinity is the most successful NFT project, having sold NTFs worth $4.26 billion as per data on DappRadar.
18. Bored Ape Yacht Club is the 3rd most successful NFT project by all-time sales value
Bored Ape Yacht Club has sold NFTs worth over $2.23 billion, making this the third top most collection by all-time sales value. CryptoPunks with nearly $3 billion is second behind Axie Infinity.
19. The Top 5 NTF Projects have sold over $1 billion
The top 5 projects have sold NTFs worth over $1 billion, with Mutant Ape Yacht Club and Art Blocks joining the top three of Axie Infinity, CryptoPunks and BAYC.
20. 5 out of the 10 most expensive NTFs sold were part of CryptoPunk
Larva Labs created the CryptoPunk series on the Ethereum network. The NFTs are rare, and that has made them incredibly valuable.
Here is the list of the five most expensive NFTs in question:
- CryptoPunk #5822 sold for $23.7 million
- CryptoPunk #7523 sold for $11.8 million
- CryptoPunk #4156 sold for $10.26 million
- CryptoPunk #5577 sold for $7,7 million
- CryptoPunk #3100 sold for $7.58 million
The total value of these NTFs is approximately $61 million.
21. LeBron James statue NFT is the most expensive sports NFT at $21.6 million
NBA star Lebron James saw an NFT statue of himself sell for more than $21.6 million, making it the most expensive sports NFT to date.
22. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s first tweet NFT sold for $2.9 million
Twitter founder Jack Dorsey sold the NFT of his first tweet ‘just setting up my twttr’ for $2.9 million. It’s the most expensive tweet NFT.
23. The most expensive NFT meme sold for $4 million
Doge, the meme depicting the Japanese dog breed Shiba Inu, is the most expensive NFT meme. The NFT sold for $4 million on the Zora in June 2021.
NFT ownership and demographics stats
24. Globally, 240 million people own NFTs
NFT ownership is still at the infancy stage, with about 3% of the global population estimated to have bought digital collectibles. The estimate puts global NFT ownership at over 240 million people..
25. India has over 98 million NFT owners
India leads the global NFT adoption rate with more than 7%, or over 98 million people owning or trading NFTs.
26. Over 6.6 million Americans own an NFT
6.6 million Americans, or about 3% of the American population own an NTF, according to Finder.com. The percentage is not far off the 2% of the population who said they owned NFTs in a Pew Research Center study in August 2022.
27. There are more than 1.3 million NFT owners in the UK
Approximately 1.34 million people in the United Kingdom own NFTs, representing about 2% of the population. The UK ranks 26th in the world by NFT ownership as of November 2022.
28. Approximately 30% of the Southeast Asia population own NTF
According to research from Finder, 32% of the citizens of the Philippines own an NFT. In Thailand, 26.6% of the population owns an NFT. In Malaysia, 23.3% of the population owns a unique digital asset collection.
29. More than 21% more Nigerians plan to own an NFT in the future
4% of Nigerians currently own NFTs, but the country has the highest projected adoption. According to Nansen, 21.7% of the population that currently doesn’t own NFTs say they plan to acquire one.
30. About 29% of US adults are interested in investing in NFTs
While the adoption rate in the US is relatively low, a Morning Consult survey shows that 20% of US adults are interested in NTFs and 9% already invest in or trade NTFs.
31. About 5% of Americans who earn $25,000 annually have invested in NTFs
An estimated five percent of Americans earning $25,000 annually invest in NFTs. Interestingly, this is a rate similar to that of people with over $150,000 in annual income that also invest in NTFs.
32. Roughly 22% of Americans don’t invest in NTFs because they don’t understand them
A recent survey shows that 22% of Americans aren’t willing to invest in NTFs since they don’t understand them. 19% think that their value fluctuates like some highly volatile cryptocurrencies. At the same time, 11% of these individuals think they don’t have enough money to invest in the projects.
33. Millennials are 3 times more likely to buy NFTs than Gen Zers
Research shows Millennials drive the NFT space with this age group 3 times more likely to buy or sell an NFT than the Gen Zers.
34. 23% of Millennials collect NFTs as a hobby or investment
Millennials drive the NFTs space, with 23% of Americans in this age group saying they have digital collections as a hobby or for investment. But that’s low compared to 42% of Millennials who said they collect physical items in a recent Morning Consult survey.
35. 1 in 4 of physical collectors are also interested in NFTs
According to a recent study by Morning Consult, about 1 in 4 or nearly 40% of physical collectors say they will also consider NFTs in the future.
36. Men are 3x more likely to collect NTFs compared to women
As with the greater cryptocurrency space, men’s adoption of NFTs is more than across women. According to a recent survey, 15% of US males collect NTFs. On the other hand, only 4% of US females do the same.
37. Venezuela and Thailand have more female than male NTF owners
Updated NTF statistics indicate that at least 30% of females and 23% of males in Thailand own NTFs. At the same time, it provides that 11.4% of females and 9.8% of males in Venezuela own these valuable assets.
38. 10% of Women and 11.2% of men own NTFs in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has the most balanced NFT investment distribution worldwide. The difference between men and women here is 1.2%.
39. 11% more men own NTFs than women in the UAE
The gender gap in NFT ownership in the UAE is about 11%. At least 26.6% of men in the country own NTFs, compared to 15.5% of women.
Top auction houses and galleries with NFTs
40. Sotheby’s Metaverse NFT generated $18.7 million is sales on day 1
Sotheby’s Metaverse, an exclusive digital art NFT marketplace went live in April 2021. According to Statista, the first NFT sale of a collection based on over 50 artworks scored more than $18.7 million.
41. NTF art sales on the popular Nifty Gateway have surpassed $250 million
ArtTactic recently reported that the digital marketing marketplace has grown significantly in terms of sales and surpassed the $ 250 million mark.
42. Approximately 2,000 NTFs dropped on Nifty Gateway in first 3 months of 2021
An estimated 2,000 NFTs launched on Nifty Gateway between January and April 2021, with the increase in sales also recorded as the NFT space experienced significant growth throughout the crypto boom.
43. NTF-art sales surpassed $ 1.5 million in less than six months
The total recorded sale value of NTF art from August 16, 2021, to February 15, 2022, was roughly $1.7 million. There were primary sales worth about $500,000. This period was also characterised by secondary art sales worth around $1.2 million.
44. NTF art sales more than doubled in 2020
Between 2018 and 2019, the art industry experienced zero growth. However, in 2019, the sales increased to almost $ 6 billion. The emergence of NTF art sales helped to increase the figure to $12.4 billion in 2020.
45. NTF art sales hit 220,000 per day in 2021
There were lots of peaks in daily sales between July and October 2021. On August 9th, it peaked at 220 450 sales.
Key Takeaway on NTF statistics
Statistics show that 2021 represents the period with the most growth for the NTFs space, a scenario that mirrored the crypto bull market. The space has however experienced a dip in 2022, in both sales volumes, and average daily NFT price. Nevertheless, NFTs remain very popular particularly among the younger generations, indicating potential for the market to grow even further.