Bitcoin miners use an estimated 348 terawatt hours of electricity per year.
The top 10 countries for Bitcoin mining represent 93.8% of the entire network by hashrate—a measure of computational power—with the U.S., China, and Kazakhstan rounding out the top three. Together these three countries hosted nearly three-quarters of the network at the end of 2021.
|
Country |
Hashrate (%) |
Renewable (%) |
|---|---|---|
|
U.S. |
37.8% |
22.5% |
|
China |
21.1% |
30.2% |
|
Kazakhstan |
13.2% |
11.3% |
|
Canada |
6.5% |
69.7% |
|
Russia |
4.7% |
18.5% |
|
Germany |
3.1% |
43.0% |
|
Malaysia |
2.5% |
19.1% |
|
Ireland |
2.0% |
38.6% |
|
Singapore |
2.0% |
2.4% |
|
Thailand |
1.0% |
15.5% |
|
Rest of the World |
6.3% |
30.1% |
China used to be the top spot for Bitcoin mining, up to 75% of global capacity, but a crackdown in the summer of 2021 saw their share drop to nil in just a couple months. Many miners relocated to nearby Kazakhstan, attracted by cheap electricity, loose regulations, and a ‘stable’ political climate, while others opted for the United States. A sizable covert mining scene has also emerged in China, now that the dust has settled.
At the bottom of the top 10 are Ireland, Singapore, and Thailand, which together host 4.9% of the network. Ireland’s reported share—and this applies to sixth-place Germany, as well—is thought to be a significant overstatement caused by miners in other countries masking their true locations.
