Provably Lost Supply
- 1M1M
- 3M3M
- 6M6M
- 1Y1Y
- ALLALL
About this metric
What it measures
Provably Lost Supply tracks BTC assigned to recognized burn addresses, BTC in unspendable OP_RETURN outputs and block rewards left unclaimed. Burn addresses (daily), OP_RETURN (daily) and Unclaimed rewards (daily) show daily amounts in BTC, while Cumulative total shows the running amount covered by this series.
How to read it
Daily spikes identify particular losses or foregone rewards, while Cumulative total shows their accumulated scale and can remain flat for long periods. Burn addresses (daily) reached 282.7 BTC on April 29, 2014; Unclaimed rewards (daily) reached 12.5 BTC on December 30, 2017. These episodic events explain why a steady cumulative line can contain distinct steps.
Coverage is narrower than all lost Bitcoin: an old unspent balance does not establish that its key is lost, and identifying a burn address is different from proving unspendability through script rules. The cumulative series begins at zero, so do not assume it includes every protocol-level exception. It describes permanent supply reduction under the tracked definitions, not daily selling pressure.
- Frequency
- Daily (UTC 00:00)
- Asset
- BTC
- Category
- Supply
- Type
- Breakdown
- Unit
- BTC
- Data since
- 2009-01-03
- Latest data
- 2026-10-27
FAQ
Why is provably lost supply much smaller than estimates of lost Bitcoin?
The series covers identified burn destinations, unspendable OP_RETURN value and unclaimed rewards. Estimates of all lost Bitcoin can also infer lost keys from dormancy, which cannot be confirmed just because coins have not moved.
Does every OP_RETURN transaction burn BTC?
Only the BTC value assigned to its unspendable output is counted here. An OP_RETURN output can carry no BTC value, and the transaction fee paid to miners is a separate amount rather than a burn.
Are unclaimed block rewards recoverable later?
No. A miner can claim less than the block permits, but the unclaimed allowance cannot be added to a later block. This category records that foregone amount, rather than coins sitting in an old wallet.
