Analyzing key trends, such their potential for high volatility or reaction to events, may also help crypto buyers and sellers manage expectations and choose strategies that align with their goals. While past performance does not guarantee future results, it may provide important context for making informed decisions and managing risk.
Table of Contents
As the most widely recognized and adopted cryptocurrency, Bitcoin’s price can in many ways serve as a barometer for the health of the entire crypto market. With the highest market cap of all cryptocurrencies by a wide margin, it has the potential to lift the prices of other cryptocurrencies in the wake of its own price increases, and likewise pull broader market prices down when its own numbers fall.
The price of Bitcoin (BTC) has been on a wild ride since it launched over 14 years ago, on January 3, 2009. Those who bought Bitcoin early have seen its price rise significantly, surpassing $124,000 for a brief moment in mid-2025, following a steep decline in 2023. However, the fluctuations in Bitcoin’s price — as with all forms of crypto — have also led to considerable losses.[1]
A review of Bitcoin price history shows plenty of ups and some significant downs, but despite the risks, crypto fans continue to seek it out. Like other cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin’s price is largely driven by sentiment, and those who buy in must be comfortable with the elevated risk that buying and selling crypto entails.
Key Points
• Bitcoin’s price is a key indicator for the broader crypto market.
• Bitcoin’s price has fluctuated significantly over time, reaching over $124,000 in mid-2025.
• “Halving” events occur every four years cutting the number of newly minted coins rewarded to miners in half.
• Major price surges occurred at different points in time due to factors such as halving events, public reaction to Covid-19, and institutional adoption.
• Crashes (Crypto Winters) have also occurred as a result of inflation concerns, regulatory impacts, and events such as the failure of crypto exchange FTX.
Bitcoin Price History Over the Years
A glance at the Bitcoin historical price chart illustrates the cryptocurrency’s steep rise since its inception. It’s equally clear that the path to Bitcoin’s current price has not always been a smooth one, and that it may continue to see fluctuations over time.
While some enjoy comparing Bitcoin’s price history to past speculative manias like Beanie Babies circa 1995 (or the infamous tulip bubble circa 1636), speculation is only one factor in any given Bitcoin price fluctuation.
Over the years, one pattern can be seen in Bitcoin’s prices. Every four years, the network undergoes a change called “the halving,” where the supply of new BTC rewarded to Bitcoin miners gets cut in half. This has happened four times so far:
• 2012: 50 BTC to 25 BTC
• 2016: 25 BTC to 12.5 BTC
• 2020: 12.5 BTC to 6.25 BTC
• 2024: 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC2
The next Bitcoin halving is set to occur in March or April of 2028.
In each instance, the price of BTC reached new record highs in the year or so following each halving event. This was typically followed by a Bitcoin bear market. After a period of consolidation, the price then tended to move upwards again in advance of the next halving, though there’s no guarantee that this may occur in the future.
While the price of BTC can hardly be considered predictable, it’s useful to view the chapters in the Bitcoin price history and what it may mean for potential buyers, sellers, and holders.
Bitcoin Price History by Year (2014-2025)
| Year | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $124,457.12 | $74,436.68 |
| 2024 | $108,268.45 | $38,521.89 |
| 2023 | $44,705.52 | $16,521.23 |
| 2022 | $48,086.84 | $15,599.05 |
| 2021 | $68,789.63 | $28,722.76 |
| 2020 | $29,244.88 | $4,106.98 |
| 2019 | $13,796.49 | $3,391.02 |
| 2018 | $17,712.40 | $3,191.30 |
| 2017 | $20,089.00 | $755.76 |
| 2016 | $979.40 | $354.91 |
| 2015 | $495.56 | $171.51 |
| 2014 | $1,007.06 | $279.21 |
Source: Yahoo Finance, CoinDesk
Bitcoin Price 2009-2012: $0 to $13.50
Early Bitcoin price history shows relatively modest growth. As buzz around Bitcoin grew, more crypto-curious individuals began to pay attention to this seemingly novel idea and its potential as a serious vehicle for growth.
2009: $0
On October 31, 2008, the pseudonymous person or group known as Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin white paper. This paper introduced a peer-to-peer digital cash system based on a new form of distributed ledger technology called blockchain.
Then, on January 3, 2009, the Bitcoin network went live with the mining of the genesis block, which allowed the first group of transactions to begin a blockchain. This block contained a text note that read: “Chancellor on Brink of Second Bailout for Banks.” This referenced an article in The London Times about the financial crisis of 2008 – 2009, when commercial banks received trillions in bailout money from central banks and governments. This event helped mark Bitcoin’s original price at $0.
For this reason and others, many suspect that Nakamoto created Bitcoin, at least in part, in response to the way the events of those years played out.
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2010: $0.00099 to $0.30
Bitcoin’s price increased nominally for most of 2010, never surpassing the $1 mark. The first recorded price at which Bitcoin was exchanged was equivalent to roughly one-tenth of a cent, and the year closed with a price near $0.30. The first notable price jump would not be far off, however.
2011 – 2012: $1 to $13.50
Real adoption of Bitcoin began to take place about two years after it was first introduced, and a major Bitcoin price surge happened for the first time.
In 2011, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) accepted BTC for donations for a few months, but quickly backtracked due to a lack of a legal framework for virtual currencies.
In February of 2011, BTC reached $1.00 for the first time, achieving parity with the U.S. dollar. Months later, the price of BTC reached $10 and then quickly soared to $30 on the Mt. Gox exchange. Bitcoin had risen 100x from the year’s starting price of about $0.30.
By year’s end, though, the price of Bitcoin was under $5. No one can say for sure exactly why the price behaved as it did, especially back when the technology was so new. It could be that 2011 marked the launch of Litecoin, a fork of the Bitcoin blockchain — and other forms of crypto began to emerge as well — signaling greater competition.
In 2012, of course, Bitcoin saw its first halving, from a 50-coin reward for mining BTC to 25 coins. This set the stage for its precipitous growth. But the pattern of an 80% – 90% correction from record highs would continue to repeat itself going forward, even as much more Bitcoin liquidity would come into being.
Recommended: Is Crypto Mining Still Worth It in 2025?
2013 – 2016: $13 to $1,000
The period between 2013 and 2016 would mark the beginning of Bitcoin’s ascension as a cryptocurrency to be taken seriously. Pricing increased dramatically during this time, as more people began to take notice of Bitcoin’s potential.
2013: $13 to $1,193
In 2013, the EFF began accepting Bitcoin again, and this was the strongest year in Bitcoin price history in terms of percentage gains. Starting at $13 in the beginning of the year, the price of Bitcoin rose to almost $250 in April before correcting downward by over 50%. The price consolidated for about six months until another historic rally in November and December of that year, when the price hit $1,193.
This increase saw Bitcoin’s market cap exceed $1 billion for the first time ever. The world’s first Bitcoin ATM was also installed in Vancouver, allowing people to convert cash into crypto.
While the price spiked above $1,000 again briefly in January 2014, it would be nearly three years before the Bitcoin price would reach four digits again.
Amidst all this volatility was a surge in crypto interest, with Dogecoin being one of the more notable coins to emerge at that time. Though considered a meme coin, Dogecoin still exists.
2014 – 2015: $760 to $430
While the cryptoverse quietly exploded in this time period, with technological innovations that permitted a move away from proof-of-work to the less resource-intensive proof-of-stake, as well as the emergence of smart contracts, and the real foundations of decentralized finance — Bitcoin was relatively quiet.
While 2014 opened at about $760, the price overall held steady in the $200 to $500 range for much of this time, briefly dipping below $200 in January and August of 2015. Bitcoin closed out 2015 at $430, marking a period of overall price stability. The official B symbol that has come to be associated with Bitcoin was adopted in November of that year.
2016: $430 to $960
In 2016, Bitcoin halved for a second time, prompting a notable jump in prices by year’s end. January ended the month with a closing price of $368, but by December, Bitcoin’s price had almost reached $1,000. A slight dip in pricing occurred around August, but for the most part, the cryptocurrency saw a steady and consistent rise in price.
2017 – 2019: $960 to $7,200
Between 2017 and 2019, Bitcoin would dazzle crypto watchers with big price leaps, but the outlook was not entirely rosy during this period. In 2018, a major crash would deliver a blow to BTC’s price and raise questions about the stability of cryptocurrency markets as a whole.
2017: $960 to $20,000
The Bitcoin price in 2017 breached the $1,100 mark in January, a new record at the time — following the Bitcoin halving in July of 2016. By December, the price had soared to nearly $20,000. That’s a 20x rise in less than 12 months, and it was followed predictably by a decline through 2018 and 2019. Bitcoin wouldn’t see the other side of $20,000 until late 2020.
Like the 2013 price surge, the 2017 rally occurred about one year after the halving. What made this time different was that for the first time ever, the general public became more aware of cryptocurrency. Mainstream news outlets began covering stories relating to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This price rise largely reflected retail buyers entering the market for the first time.
Opinions on Bitcoin ranged from thinking it was a scam to believing it was the greatest thing ever. For the believers, this was an opportunity for many to purchase Bitcoin for the first time, but there’s little doubt that the influx of retail interest in the crypto markets contributed heavily to volatility across the board.
2018: $14,000 to $3,700
The year 2018 was an unpredictable one for Bitcoin pricing. Following a relatively strong start in January, with prices closing above $10,000, the cryptocurrency ended the year at $3,742. This period stands out as one of the most significant cryptocurrency crashes, affecting not only Bitcoin but more than 90 other digital currencies that had arisen.
Bitcoin’s decline during this period was attributed to numerous factors, including the launch of several new crypto offerings that quickly fizzled, which triggered fear in the markets.
Apart from these concerns were rumors that South Korea was contemplating banning cryptocurrency, and the hacking of Coincheck, Japan’s largest OTC cryptocurrency exchange network. Combined, these factors created a perfect storm for price drops and criticism of Bitcoin from none other than Warren Buffett, who characterized it as “rat poison squared”.
2019: $3,700 to $7,200
Bitcoin began to see some recovery in 2019, though it was initially slow going. For most of the first quarter, Bitcoin’s price hovered between $3,500 and $5,000, before a surge in June of that year that tipped its price above $13,000.
June saw the cryptocurrency’s price rise above $10,000 again, and Bitcoin held steady throughout July. By August, the tide had begun to turn, and the remainder of the year saw a gradual slide in pricing. In December 2019, Bitcoin closed at $7,193, still well above its January price point but far from the highs reached in 2017.
The next big test of Bitcoin’s strength in the crypto markets would come in 2020, with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 – 2025: $7,200 to $124,000
The period from 2020 to 2025 would see Bitcoin prices reach their highest levels yet — and one of the worst crashes in the cryptocurrency’s history. Against mounting pressure, Bitcoin would continue to attract new buyers hoping to get exposure to the crypto market.
2020: $7,200 to $29,000
The crypto feeding frenzy was well underway by the end of 2019, with hundreds of new coins on the market. By January 3, 2020, Bitcoin’s price was $7,347 and rising steadily for the most part. As the halving in May of 2020 approached, Bitcoin’s price shot north of $9,100, nearly a 25% increase in just a few months.
But that was just the start of a meteoric rise — and fall — for BTC that few will forget, and a phase of Bitcoin’s story that many tie to the pandemic. With millions of people worldwide confined at home from 2020 through 2021 (in some cases longer), online speculation became a widespread phenomenon. One offshoot of that may have been the biggest Bitcoin bull market to date.
2021: $29,000 to $69,000
In August 2021, the price of Bitcoin was hovering around $46,000, and by November 2021 BTC hit its all-time best over $68,500.
Toward the end of 2021, however, the Bitcoin hash rate, a factor thought to have some correlation to the Bitcoin price, plummeted to around $47,000 — a loss of close to 30%.
The price drop occurred partly as a result of China requiring its citizens to shut down Bitcoin mining operations. The country previously housed a significant portion of the network’s mining nodes. As a result, these computers had to go offline. Many believe this reduction in mining capacity was a key factor weighing on the Bitcoin price.
In addition, politicians and regulators raised concerns about the future of crypto laws and regulations, adding to the general mood that crypto mavens refer to as FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) — one of many crypto slang terms now in wider use.
But as 2021 shifted into 2022, the specter of inflation — in addition to the global energy crisis and geopolitical turmoil thanks to Russia’s war on Ukraine — put a drag on the price of BTC and just about every other major crypto.
2022: $47,000 to $16,5000
From January 2022 through May, Bitcoin’s price continued to sag as the Crypto Winter officially took hold. By May, BTC dipped under $30,000 for the first time since July of 2021. June would see Bitcoin’s price move even lower, dropping to $17,708 at its lowest point that month.
What Is a Crypto Winter?
Unlike a bear market, a crypto winter doesn’t have specific parameters or criteria. But, similar to a bear market, it does mark a period of steady and sometimes precipitous losses that pervade the crypto markets as a whole.
Crypto Struggles in the Face of Crises
This downward trend proved to be the case as crypto prices overall declined through Q2 — partly affected by the collapse of stablecoins like TerraUSD and Luna. In June, Bitcoin fell below $20,000.
Crypto prices struggled through Q3 of 2022, and took another hit in November 2022, thanks to the sudden failure of crypto exchange FTX.
The exchange crashed amid a liquidity crunch and allegations of misused funds by its CEO, Sam Blankman Fried. A bailout by Binance was possible, but the deal fell through because of FTX’s troubled finances and implications of fraud.
The rapid downfall of FTX shocked the financial industry, and the crash had a massive ripple effect throughout the crypto market, affecting consumer confidence. Widespread worries about inflation, as well as steady interest rate hikes, affected broader markets. Bitcoin’s price continued to be a gauge of overall crypto health in many ways, plunging below $20,000 by the end of December, 2022.
2023: $16,500 to $44,000
January 2023 saw Bitcoin’s price increase to around $23,300, sparking hopes that the crypto winter had begun to thaw. Meanwhile, other cryptocurrencies began showing similar price patterns in Q1.
The rest of 2023 proved to be fruitful for those who were able to hold on through the crypto winter. At mid-year, Bitcoin’s price had topped $30,000 once again, and while there were some slight declines, the crypto finished the year strong. By December 2023, Bitcoin’s price notched a high of $44,705, before closing the year just above $42,000.
2024: $42,000 to $100,000+
Bitcoin would hit new benchmarks in 2024, breaking the $100,000 mark for the first time. In January of that year, the SEC would allow Bitcoin to be accessed via exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which led to the addition of several new funds to the market.
The introduction of physical Bitcoin ETFs brought major price increases, as crypto users rushed to buy shares. Bitcoin’s price surged to $63,913 in February 2024, then to $73,750 in March.
After this peak, prices would decline slightly, hovering between $65,000 and $73,000 for most of the year. In November, Bitcoin’s price brushed $100,000, before finally surging past that figure in December. That month, it reached $108,268, ending the year at $93,429.
2025: $94,000 to $124,000
Building off the momentum of 2024, Bitcoin has continued to push toward new heights for much of 2025. Despite some dips in the first quarter, the cryptocurrency reached its highest price ever in mid-August, cresting $124,457. The price fell back slightly to below $110,000 later that month.
Part of the increase can be attributed to ongoing interest in Bitcoin ETFs, which offer exposure to cryptocurrency without having to buy individual coins. Market sentiment has also moved in a more positive direction this year, thanks in part to the current administration’s stance on cryptocurrency.
In July 2025, U.S. securities regulators announced plans to modernize crypto rulemaking, which could pave the way for further innovation in the digital currency space. Dubbed “Project Crypto”, it would make a major shift in the market and potentially make the U.S. a leader in the cryptocurrency market. What that might mean for Bitcoin pricing going forward remains to be seen.
The Takeaway
Bitcoin’s historical price records are a mix of surges and setbacks, but even through crashes, it’s continued to attract interest from buyers and sellers.
As the oldest and still the largest form of crypto, BTC has gone from being worth a fraction of a penny to about $110,000 in mid-2025, which is nothing short of impressive. However, cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
Soon, SoFi members will be able to buy, sell, and hold cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more, and manage them all seamlessly alongside their other finances. This, however, is just the first of an expanding list of crypto services SoFi aims to provide, giving members more control and more ways to manage their money.
FAQ
What was the highest price Bitcoin has ever reached?
Bitcoin reached its highest price in mid-August 2025, when it was briefly valued at $124,457. As of late August 2025, the price held above $110,000.
When was Bitcoin worth $1?
Bitcoin reached $1 in early 2011, after hovering around the $0.30 to $0.40 mark for most of 2010. In mid-2011, the price jumped to $30 before tapering off to around $2 to close out the year.
What was the original price of Bitcoin?
The first recorded price of Bitcoin was $0.00099. This price was notched in 2009, when a BitcoinTalk forum member exchanged 5050 Bitcoin with another forum member for $5.02 through PayPal.
If you bought $1,000 in Bitcoin 10 years ago, how much would it be worth today?
If you bought $1,000 in Bitcoin 10 years ago, in 2015, your Bitcoin would be worth approximately $405,000, as of August 2025. That would equate to a 40,425% rate of return on your money.
How many times has Bitcoin “crashed”?
Historically, Bitcoin has crashed nearly a dozen times, with some of the most notable crashes occurring in June 2011, April 2013, and December 2017. Bitcoin crashes occur when there are extreme price fluctuations that cause sharp declines. These fluctuations may be driven by market speculation, regulatory concerns, and macroeconomic factors, such as talk of interest rate hikes or rising inflation.
What is the significance of the Bitcoin halving?
Bitcoin halving is designed to reduce the supply of new Bitcoins entering the market. Halving occurs every four years and cuts the number of new coins created by 50%. The theory behind halving is that scarcity should lead to price appreciation if demand for Bitcoin remains high.
About the author
Brian Nibley
Brian Nibley is a freelance writer, author, and investor who has been covering the cryptocurrency space since 2017. His work has appeared in publications such as MSN Money, Blockworks, Business Insider, Cointelegraph, Finance Magnates, and Newsweek. Read full bio.
Article Sources
- Coindesk. Bitcoin Price (BTC).
Photo credit: iStock/simarik
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