How many Bitcoin do governemnts own in 2025? - Bittr Academy

How do governments acquire Bitcoin?

In most cases, states obtain bitcoin through law enforcement. Investigators seize coins from darknet markets, frauds, or hacks. After court proceedings, those balances are forfeited to the state.

Examples: Bulgaria reported seizing 200,000+ BTC in 2017 during an operation against organized crime. China confiscated about 190,000 BTC in the 2019 PlusToken Ponzi case. The United States secured roughly 144,000 BTC in the Silk Road case (2013) and about 50,000 BTC in 2022 tied to an older hack.

Less often, governments buy Bitcoin or mine it with state resources. El Salvador has been purchasing Bitcoin for reserves since 2021 (over 6,000 BTC by 2025). Bhutan has mined with hydropower since 2019 and is estimated to hold ~12,000 BTC by 2025. Reports also cite North Korea (Lazarus Group) as accumulating BTC through cyber-theft.

Important: many seizures are sealed by courts. Confidential warrants and delayed disclosures make precise totals hard to pin down. Estimates rely on on-chain analysis and occasional official releases and are never 100% exact.

How much Bitcoin do governments hold?

As of 2025, governments are estimated to hold ~463,000 BTC (≈ 2.3% of total supply). The largest known positions include:

United States: ~200,000 BTC — seized in criminal cases
China: ~190,000 BTC — largely from dismantling PlusToken
United Kingdom: ~61,000 BTC — from a 2021 money-laundering case
North Korea: ~13,500 BTC — fluctuating as portions are liquidated
Bhutan: ~10,000–13,000 BTC — from state-backed mining
El Salvador: ~6,000 BTC — strategic, long-term purchases For many individual claims, solid evidence is lacking. The U.S. and China hold the largest state balances, each around 200,000 BTC.

What do governments do with Bitcoin?

For years, the default approach was to sell. In the U.S., the U.S. Marshals Service auctions seized BTC. Since 2014, close to 200,000 BTC have been sold this way. Bulgaria and Finland have also disposed of large tranches. Germany sold the ~50,000 BTC seized in the Movie2k case gradually in summer 2024.

Since 2025 there are signs of a shift:

The U.S. now implements holding a portion of seized BTC as a strategic reserve.
The U.K. is considering a similar approach for its ~61,000 BTC.
El Salvador continues to hold long term and actively adds to its position. When sales do happen, they’re typically staged and market-aware, sometimes via brokers or exchanges, to limit price impact. Holding introduces price risk for states; selling immediately can prove shortsighted. Policies vary accordingly.

Final Thoughts

States collectively hold ~463,000 BTC (≈ 2.3%) but exact figures are uncertain due to sealed proceedings.
U.S. and China have the largest known balances, mostly via enforcement actions.
Historically, seized BTC were sold but some countries now retain portions as a strategic asset.