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Which countries hold Bitcoin

14 governments hold about 645,605 BTC, mostly seized coins rather than purchases.

Source: bitcointreasuries.net · 22 Oct 2026, 13:35 London · estimates from public data; some are not officially confirmed

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Governments

1United StatesCriminal seizures and forfeitures (Silk Road, Bitfinex hack recovery, James Zhong case and others); held under the 6 Mar 2025 executive order with a no-sell policy.328,372 BTC
2ChinaConfiscations; CoinCoverage attributes most of it to the PlusToken scheme.190,000 BTC
3United KingdomSeized in a criminal case (Jian Wen case per CoinCoverage); disposal pending.61,245 BTC
4Ukraine (holdings of public officials)*Not a state reserve.46,351 BTC
5El SalvadorDirect purchases (legal tender since September 2021).7,812 BTC
6United Arab EmiratesSovereign wealth exposure and mining-related strategies (River).6,420 BTC
7Kazakhstan3,544 BTC
8North Korea803 BTC
9BhutanState-backed mining with hydroelectric power (Druk Holdings & Investments).518 BTC
10Venezuela240 BTC
11Taiwan210 BTC
12Finland90 BTC
13Bulgaria0 BTC
14Germany0 BTC

* Ukraine: this is not a state reserve. bitcointreasuries.net labels this row “holdings of public officials”: bitcoin that Ukrainian officials listed in their asset declarations. Source

Not ranked among countries: Roswell, New Mexico (0.0347 BTC). These are local governments, not countries, so their holdings are kept apart from the country figures. Source: bitcointreasuries.net, 22 Oct 2026, 13:35 London.

United States: the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

On 6 March 2025 a US executive order created the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. It is capitalised with the BTC the Treasury holds that was finally forfeited in criminal or civil proceedings. The order says these coins are not to be sold and are kept as reserve assets; strategies to acquire more BTC must be budget neutral, meaning no extra cost to taxpayers.

The US figure in the table above (328,372 BTC) is the tracker's estimate from known addresses, not an official reserve statement.

Individual states are passing their own reserve laws too: which states have enacted one and which bills failed.

Source: whitehouse.gov, executive order of 6 March 2025. Wiki →

Why trackers show different numbers

Trackers attribute wallets differently, count seized vs forfeited coins differently, and include unconfirmed estimates. So we show the range, not one number.

BTC per tracker, checked 2026-10-14
Countrybitcointreasuries.netCoinGeckoCoinCoverageRiver reportRange
United States328,372329,693328,372328,372328,372–329,693
China190,000190,000194,00015,00015,000–194,000
United Kingdom61,24561,24561,24561,24561,245
Ukraine46,351—46,351—46,351
El Salvador7,8127,4746,1357,5146,135–7,812
United Arab Emirates6,4206,333—30,3826,333–30,382
North Korea80313,562——803–13,562
Bhutan51810,76913,0295,884518–13,029
Venezuela240240——240
Finland9090——90

“—” means the tracker does not list the country. River figures as of 31 Dec 2025.

How governments got their Bitcoin

  • United States: Criminal seizures and forfeitures (Silk Road, Bitfinex hack recovery, James Zhong case and others); held under the 6 Mar 2025 executive order with a no-sell policy. (CoinCoverage, River report)
  • China: Confiscations; CoinCoverage attributes most of it to the PlusToken scheme. Never officially disclosed by China. (CoinCoverage, River report)
  • United Kingdom: Seized in a criminal case (Jian Wen case per CoinCoverage); disposal pending. (CoinCoverage)
  • Ukraine: Not a state reserve. bitcointreasuries.net labels this row “holdings of public officials”, i.e. bitcoin declared by Ukrainian officials in their asset declarations. CoinCoverage instead describes it as war donations; CoinGecko and River do not list Ukraine. (CoinCoverage, bitcointreasuries.net)
  • Bhutan: State-backed mining with hydroelectric power (Druk Holdings & Investments). (CoinCoverage, River report)
  • El Salvador: Direct purchases (legal tender since September 2021). (River report, CoinCoverage)
  • United Arab Emirates: Sovereign wealth exposure and mining-related strategies (River). (River report)
  • Germany: Seized (Movie2k case) and sold: about 49,858 BTC in June–July 2024 (CoinCoverage). (CoinCoverage)

Where the cited sources do not say how a country got its coins, we do not state it. US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve →

Changes over time

Combined holdings of the 14 governments present in every snapshot: 645,592 BTC on 10 Oct 2026 → 645,605 BTC on 22 Oct 2026, 9 snapshots.

645,605645,59210 Oct 202622 Oct 2026
Change by country: 10 Oct 2026 → 22 Oct 2026
El Salvador7,799 → 7,812 BTC+13

Points are real snapshots of the bitcointreasuries.net table; the chart grows daily and missing dates are never back-filled.

Companies and funds by country

United States1322,724,362 BTC
British Virgin Islands3107,009 BTC
Japan1784,612 BTC
Canada4059,035 BTC
Gibraltar239,113 BTC
Switzerland729,429 BTC
Jersey325,908 BTC
Sweden924,591 BTC
United Kingdom2422,888 BTC
Germany816,686 BTC
Brazil612,926 BTC
China1011,577 BTC
Hong Kong1310,657 BTC
Liechtenstein28,392 BTC
France53,937 BTC
Seychelles13,699 BTC
Singapore53,403 BTC
Australia73,191 BTC
Cayman Islands22,353 BTC
South Korea51,378 BTC
Netherlands11,111 BTC
Israel11,046 BTC
Norway51,001 BTC
Bermuda1759 BTC
United Arab Emirates2559 BTC

Source: bitcointreasuries.net · as of 22 Oct 2026, 13:35 London · computed by 21btc: BTC of companies and funds (governments excluded) summed by country, top 25, middle column is the number of entities

All holders →

FAQ

Which country holds the most Bitcoin?
United States: about 328,372 BTC according to bitcointreasuries.net.
Where do governments get their Bitcoin?
Mostly from criminal seizures. Only a few countries bought it, such as El Salvador, and Bhutan mined it.
Why do sites show different numbers?
Trackers attribute wallets differently, count seized vs forfeited coins differently and include unconfirmed estimates. Estimates for Bhutan run 518–13,029 BTC, for China 15,000–194,000 BTC (see the table above).
Does Ukraine hold 46,351 BTC in reserve?
No. bitcointreasuries.net labels that row “holdings of public officials”: bitcoin from Ukrainian officials' asset declarations, not a state reserve.