The Bitcoin network will close 2025 with a mining difficulty of 148.2 trillion, a level established in its final adjustment of the year.

This figure represents a 35% increase from the 109.8 trillion difficulty recorded on January 1, 2025, highlighting a year of massive expansion in network security and mining competition.

Network Security Reaches New Peak

Mining difficulty measures how hard it is for miners to find a new block. The protocol adjusts this figure after every two weeks to keep the average block time near ten minutes, regardless of how much computing power, or hashrate, is on the network. A greater difficulty means more miners are competing to secure the blockchain.

The path to 148.2 trillion was not a straight line. According to data from CoinWarz, the year’s highest difficulty was 156.0 trillion, recorded on November 11, 2025. At that time, Bitcoin’s price was near $110,000.

Conversely, the lowest point in the last three months was 146.7 trillion in late October, which coincided with Bitcoin trading near its all-time high above $126,000. The current difficulty is down roughly 5% from the November peak but remains 35% higher than at the start of the year.

This relentless climb is a response to miners deploying more powerful and efficient machines. As previously reported by CryptoPotato, each new difficulty record pointed to growing miner commitment, even during periods of price volatility. The next adjustment, projected for January 8, 2026, is expected to push the difficulty even higher to approximately 149.3 trillion.

Price and Difficulty: A Complex Relationship

The connection between Bitcoin’s price and its mining difficulty is often indirect. While a strong price can attract more miners, increasing difficulty, the data from 2025 shows they do not move in lockstep. For instance, when difficulty hit its annual high in November, Bitcoin’s price was around $110,000. Just weeks earlier, when Bitcoin set its price record above $126,000, the difficulty was actually lower, at 146.7 trillion.

Currently, Bitcoin is trading near $89,600, down roughly 4% from its price at the start of 2025. This presents a tighter margin environment for miners compared to the October peak.

However, the consistent rise in difficulty throughout the year suggests miners are playing a long-term game, betting on future price appreciation and continuing to strengthen the network’s foundational security.

Some industry observers view this ongoing investment in infrastructure, even as the reward per block shrinks post-halving, as highlighting a deep-seated confidence in Bitcoin’s enduring value proposition.

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