Network Hashrate
The total computational power of all miners on the Bitcoin network, currently exceeding 600 EH/s. Higher hashrate means greater security.
What is Network Hashrate?
Network hashrate is the estimated total computational power being applied to Bitcoin mining across all miners worldwide. It represents the sum of every miner's individual hashrate and is typically measured in exahashes per second (EH/s). The Bitcoin network currently operates at over 600 EH/s.
How Network Hashrate is Estimated
Network hashrate cannot be directly measured -- it is estimated from the rate at which blocks are being found relative to the current difficulty. If blocks are being found faster than the 10-minute target, it suggests hashrate has increased. If slower, it suggests hashrate has decreased.
The estimation formula uses:
- Current difficulty
- Time between recent blocks
- Statistical smoothing over multiple blocks
Because of this estimation method, reported network hashrate can fluctuate significantly over short periods even if actual hashrate remains constant. Most monitoring tools smooth the data over several hours or days for more stable readings.
Network Hashrate and Mining Profitability
Your mining revenue is inversely proportional to network hashrate. The relationship is simple: you are competing with all other miners for the same fixed block rewards. If network hashrate doubles while your hashrate stays the same, your share of rewards (and daily BTC earnings) is cut in half.
This is why miners track the metric BTC per TH/s per day: it captures both difficulty and network hashrate effects in a single number that directly represents earning potential.
Historical Growth
Bitcoin's network hashrate has grown dramatically over its history:
- 2009: A few MH/s (CPU mining)
- 2013: ~10 TH/s (early ASICs)
- 2017: ~15 EH/s (ASIC dominance)
- 2021: ~180 EH/s (post-China ban recovery)
- 2024-2025: 600+ EH/s (latest generation ASICs)
This exponential growth reflects continuous hardware innovation and expanding mining operations worldwide. Each new generation of ASICs delivers more hashrate per watt, attracting more capital investment into mining.
Network Hashrate and Security
Higher network hashrate makes Bitcoin more secure by making 51% attacks prohibitively expensive. An attacker would need to control more than half of the network's hashrate to manipulate the blockchain. At 600+ EH/s, this would require billions of dollars in hardware and electricity, making such attacks practically impossible.