Bitcoin Ownership Remains Niche: Only 4% of Global Population Holds BTC

Despite its rising prominence in financial markets, Bitcoin adoption remains limited, with only 4% of the global population currently holding BTC.

The United States leads in ownership, with approximately 14% of individuals reported to have Bitcoin holdings, according to a recent study by River , a BTC financial services firm.

The report highlights North America as the region with the highest Bitcoin adoption, both among individuals and institutions, while Africa lags behind, with only 1.6% of the population holding BTC.

Bitcoin Adoption Tied to Economic Development, Wealthier Regions Lead Ownership

The findings suggest that Bitcoin adoption correlates strongly with economic development, with wealthier regions showing higher rates of ownership.

River’s research estimates that Bitcoin has reached just 3% of its full adoption potential, reinforcing the notion that BTC remains in its early stages of global integration.

The firm arrived at this figure by calculating Bitcoin’s total addressable market, which includes governments, corporations, and institutions—currently estimated at only 1% adoption.

Additionally, institutional underallocation and low individual ownership rates contributed to the assessment that Bitcoin still has a long way to go before mass adoption.

While Bitcoin has progressed from its early days as a niche asset among cypherpunks to being recognized as a U.S. government reserve asset, several barriers continue to hinder its widespread adoption.

One of the biggest challenges is financial and technical literacy—a lack of understanding fuels misconceptions about Bitcoin, with some still considering it a scam or a Ponzi scheme.

Additionally, Bitcoin’s price volatility poses a significant obstacle, making it unreliable as a medium of exchange or a store of value for many, particularly in developing economies.

Instead, individuals in these regions increasingly turn to stablecoins like USDT for digital transactions due to their relative price stability and lower fees.

At the White House Crypto Summit on March 7, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reaffirmed the country’s commitment to stablecoins, emphasizing their role in maintaining U.S. dollar dominance as the world’s reserve currency.

Bitcoin Still a Risk Asset: Analyst

Bitcoin has long been hailed as a potential hedge against geopolitical and fiscal instability, often compared to gold as a store of value.

However, despite its decentralized nature and limited supply, Bitcoin continues to trade like a risk asset, moving in tandem with equities rather than diverging as a safe haven, according to Garrison Yang, co-founder of Web3 development studio Mirai Labs.

In a recent interview with Cryptonews.com , Yang argued that Bitcoin’s correlation with traditional financial markets remains strong, posing challenges to its hedge narrative.

For Bitcoin to establish itself as a true hedge against macroeconomic instability, Yang said that it must break its correlation with U.S. equities and other risk assets.

Currently, Bitcoin’s price movements are heavily influenced by investor sentiment in traditional markets, particularly the stock market.