According to network data, the Bitcoin network ended 2025 with a mining difficulty of 148.2 trillion established in this year’s final adjustment.
summary
- Bitcoin ended 2025 with a mining difficulty of 148.2 trillion, an increase of 35% since the beginning of the year, highlighting network security and increasing miner competition.
- Difficulty peaked in November at 156.0 trillion, but remains about 5% below that high and is expected to rise again to about 149.3 trillion at the next correction on January 8, 2026.
- The steady increase in difficulty reflects miners deploying more efficient hardware and continuing operations despite the 2025 halving and Bitcoin trading slightly below its price at the beginning of the year.
This number is a 35% increase from the 109.8 trillion difficulty level recorded on January 1, 2025, which marks a year of expansion in network security and mining competition.
Mining difficulty measures the computational challenge miners face in finding new blocks. The Bitcoin protocol adjusts this number every two weeks to keep the average block time close to 10 minutes, regardless of the network’s total computing power or hashrate. A higher difficulty level indicates increased miner participation in securing the blockchain.
According to CoinWarz data, this year’s highest difficulty reached 156 trillion on November 11th. The lowest point in the last three months was 146.7 trillion in late October.
Current difficulty is about 5% below November’s peak, but still 35% above this year’s starting level. This increase reflects miners introducing more powerful and efficient machines throughout the year.
According to the network’s predictions, the next adjustment will take place on January 8th, and the difficulty level is expected to increase to approximately 149.3 trillion.
The relationship between Bitcoin price and mining difficulty showed changes throughout 2025. Bitcoin prices rose as difficulty reached a yearly high in November. A few weeks ago, when Bitcoin set a price record, the difficulty level hit 146.7 trillion.
Bitcoin is currently trading around 4% lower than its price at the beginning of 2025. The consistent increase in difficulty throughout the year was due to miners continuing to operate after the network halving event, resulting in lower block rewards.
