India Leads Global Bitcoin Adoption with Estimated 68 Million Holders
Bitcoin's global ownership has reached an estimated 5% of the world's population, according to on-chain analyst Willy Woo. The data, shared by Woo on social media platform X on September 1, 2026, also shows that India accounts for approximately 68 million of these holders.
The figures place Bitcoin's estimated population penetration in a similar range to gold and S&P 500 ownership. However, the comparisons are based on different datasets and definitions of ownership, so they do not provide a direct measure of how the assets compare as investments.
India has the largest number of Bitcoin owners, despite having an ownership rate of 4.6%. The United States is estimated to have around 50 million holders, while China has approximately 33 million.
The estimates should be treated with caution, as they are based on projections and different datasets. Woo's historical chart draws on various studies and methodologies across periods, making the overall adoption curve useful for assessing the scale and direction of ownership.