As the world of finance, especially decentralized finance, continues to evolve rapidly, there is a lot of bad information or misinformation regarding the growth and adoption of cryptocurrencies. If you read the mainstream press, you might hear about fraud, scams, and crypto crime. If you read social media, it might seem like everyone is either getting rich or losing fortunes.
But the truth is, misinformation only spreads fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) or fear of missing out (FOMO), both of which sometimes play a role in overall cryptocurrency market dynamics. Even for industry insiders, it can be hard to keep up with what’s happening, or to find accurate information about the overall health and direction of cryptocurrencies.
With that in mind, sometimes it’s helpful to zoom out and look at overall cryptocurrency statistics, especially cryptocurrency growth and adoption to get a better understanding of what’s actually happening.
Cryptocurrency Adoption in the United States
By design, cryptocurrency is a global phenomenon. The underlying technology of blockchain makes it possible to build digitally-native economies and asset systems at the scale of the internet.
Nevertheless, because the US dollar is a global reserve currency and because the United States is viewed as a massive tech hub and has historically been a cradle for innovation, cryptocurrency statistics and adoption rates in the United States can tell an interesting story.
Here’s a breakdown:
93 million — the number of adults in America who own some type of cryptocurrency
40% of American adults own cryptocurrency in 2024. This is up from 15% in 2021.
63% of Americans plan to acquire more cryptocurrency in the next year, following an overall uptick in market sentiment following 2023’s bear market.
29% of women in the United States own cryptocurrency, representing massive growth. Only 18% of American women owned crypto in 2023.
44% the number of adult Americans who said they will never own crypto. This is down from 49% in 2023.
All data for this section can be found in the 2024 Cryptocurrency Adoption and Sentiment report, which is linked in the resources section below
Cryptocurrency Growth Worldwide
While the United States might provide a decent indicator for global cryptocurrency adoption trends, looking at one country and one population alone doesn’t tell the whole story.
In fact, some of the biggest cryptocurrency growth trends are seen in middle income developing economies, outside of the United States.
Globally, cryptocurrency rates were down in 2023. Despite the overall trend, there were pockets of growth. The following countries saw the biggest cryptocurrency growth rates (in order):
- India
- Nigeria
- Vietnam
- United States
- Ukraine
- Philippines
- Indonesia
- Pakistan
- Brazil
- Thailand
Interesting Fact About Global Cryptocurrency Growth
90% of the global stablecoin volume (digital assets with a fixed peg to fiat currencies to maintain a set price) was pegged to the US dollar.
Cryptocurrency Growth Statistics by World Region
24.4% or $1.2 trillion of the global on-chain transaction activity in crypto between July 2022 and June 2023 happened in North America.
- Top countries include:
- United States
- Canada
19.3% or $965 billion of the global on-chain transaction activity in crypto between July 2022 and June 2023 was in Central and Southern Asia and Oceania.
- Top countries include:
- India
- Vietnam
- Thailand
17.6% or $880 billion of the global on-chain transaction activity in crypto between July 2022 and June 2023 was in Central, Northern, and Western Europe.
- Top countries include:
- UK
- Germany
- Spain
8.9% or $445 billion of the global on-chain transaction activity in crypto between July 2022 and June 2023 was in Eastern Europe.
- Top countries include:
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Poland
7.3% or $365 billion of global on-chain transaction activity in crypto between July 2022 and June 2023 was in Latin America.
- Top countries include
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Mexico
All data for this section can be found in the Chainalysis The 2023 Geography of Cryptocurrency report, which is linked in the resources section below
Cryptocurrency Statistics References and Reports
The information and data presented in this report is not intended to be used as financial advice or guidance. Instead, the data above was gathered merely to demonstrate the concept that cryptocurrency statistics, adoption rates, and growth trends might present a different view. The goal is to prove an alternative to the day-to-day newscycle, which can sometimes misrepresent larger trends.
Be sure to do your own research. These reports and resources provide a great starting point.
- 2024 Cryptocurrency Adoption and Sentiment Report
- Chainalysis The 2023 Geography of Cryptocurrency Report