Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Hits Historic Lows

Bitcoin mining has been struggling to find its footing in 2026, with difficulty hovering near historic lows. The latest adjustment saw a 1.31% decrease in difficulty, marking the tenth time this year that miners have seen their efforts become easier.

This trend is particularly concerning for the industry, as it suggests that miners are losing ground rather than gaining it. In fact, from the first adjustment of 2026 to the latest, Bitcoin has recorded ten downward difficulty adjustments against just seven increases.

The real tell is where Bitcoin's difficulty landed after all this whiplash. Despite some minor recoveries, nearly every meaningful comeback miners managed since June has been wiped off the board. The current difficulty sits at 125.81 trillion, roughly 15.1% below the level immediately before the year's first adjustment.

The latest difficulty adjustment is especially telling because it followed a razor-thin 0.99% increase at block 961632. Instead of igniting another recovery cycle, that small gain was immediately wiped out by the 1.31% decline at block 963648. Hashrate is already well off its all-time high, and the difficulty data points to roughly 150 exahash per second (EH/s) of effective mining power disappearing from the network.