Countries That Own Bitcoin
Governments hold roughly 612,521 BTC between them in our list — but most of it is seized from criminals rather than bought, and few governments publish exact figures, so most numbers are on-chain estimates. The United States has the most (about 328,372 BTC); El Salvador buys bitcoin and Bhutan has mined it.
Holdings reviewed October 2026 · values at $80,559 per bitcoin (live) · 20,103,472 BTC mined
| # | Country | Bitcoin | Worth | % of supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States secondarySeized/forfeited (Silk Road, Bitfinex hack ~94,643 BTC still in restitution proceedings, Chen Zhi/LuBian 127,271 BTC civil forfeiture from Oct 2025). Strategic Bitcoin Reserve created by executive order 6 Mar 2025, but … | 328,372 | $26.5bn | 1.633% |
| 2 | China estimateSeized in the 2019 PlusToken case. This is an old estimate with no on-chain confirmation, and there are unconfirmed reports that much or all of it was sold. | 190,000 | $15.3bn | 0.945% |
| 3 | United Kingdom secondarySeized in 2018 from the Jian Wen / Zhimin Qian fraud case; ownership contested by victims and China; Home Office has explored a sale, but none is confirmed. | 61,245 | $4.93bn | 0.305% |
| 4 | North Korea (Lazarus Group) estimateStolen (e.g. Feb 2025 Bybit hack), attributed on-chain by Arkham. Stale and highly uncertain: much has since been laundered, and BitcoinTreasuries shows only ~803 BTC. | 13,518 | $1.09bn | 0.067% |
| 5 | El SalvadorPurchased (buys ~1 BTC/day; National Bitcoin Office publishes holdings). Snapshots ranged 7,760-7,792 in late Sep/early Oct 2026. IMF programme constraints apply. | 7,792 | $628m | 0.039% |
| 6 | United Arab Emirates estimateState-linked mining (Citadel Mining / royal-linked entities), attributed on-chain by Arkham; not officially confirmed. | 6,300 | $508m | 0.031% |
| 7 | Kazakhstan estimateAggregator figure only (state crypto reserve from seized assets and state mining). Could not verify with an official source; the planned reserve fund was reported to invest via ETFs and crypto firms. | 3,544 | $286m | 0.018% |
| 8 | Bhutan secondaryState hydro-powered mining via Druk Holding & Investments; Arkham-tagged wallets fell from ~13,000 BTC (Oct 2024) as coins were moved to exchanges. | 1,750 | $141m | 0.009% |
US states
Three US states have passed bitcoin reserve laws — New Hampshire, Arizona and Texas — and Texas is the only one known to have bought bitcoin exposure. See US states with bitcoin reserves.
FAQ
Which country owns the most bitcoin?
The United States, with an estimated 328,372 BTC, almost all of it seized in criminal cases. A Strategic Bitcoin Reserve was created by executive order in March 2025, but no official count has been published.
Does China own bitcoin?
It is believed to have seized about 190,000 BTC in the PlusToken case, but it has never confirmed how much it still holds, so the figure is a low-confidence estimate.
Which countries have bought bitcoin?
El Salvador has bought bitcoin since 2021 (about 7,792 BTC). Bhutan mined its holdings with hydropower. Most other government holdings are seizures.
Compiled by Corgano from SEC filings, company and fund reports, government statements and on-chain analytics (Arkham, BitcoinTreasuries and others), as linked. Figures can lag; holders buy and sell between reports. Found a newer figure? Let us know through the About page.