Cornell Bitcoin Adoption Index — 2026 Edition

A 25-country study of bitcoin awareness, ownership, understanding, and trust, conducted by the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University's Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, with support from the Human Rights Foundation. Nationally representative online samples of 25,880 adults were surveyed between December 2024 and March 2025.

Headline findings

Bitcoin ownership and perceptions by country

Share of respondents in each country. Awareness and ownership are among all respondents; perception measures are among those aware of bitcoin.
CountryAware of bitcoinEver ownedCurrently ownIncreases financial freedomIs confusingProne to fraudRespondents
El Salvador98.2%72.1%28.6%55.9%47.7%45.2%811
UAE92.8%39.4%20.9%58.5%52.1%49.2%1013
Turkey92.6%42.2%19.9%49.3%49.8%46.5%1010
Venezuela95.6%44.4%19.8%70.8%43.3%38.2%1000
Brazil93.4%37.8%19.6%52.5%53.1%46.9%1027
Ukraine96.6%35.6%18.2%63.3%46.7%32.8%1001
Switzerland89.8%30.7%17.7%37.6%56.0%47.0%1343
India92.4%33.2%17.3%58.5%47.8%42.3%1011
Russia96.6%36.4%15.8%45.7%49.0%43.8%1006
Indonesia85.7%35.4%15.7%54.2%51.1%46.8%1010
Nigeria98.0%44.3%15.5%75.8%38.7%36.1%1012
Argentina88.4%31.7%13.8%53.4%50.9%40.0%1056
South Korea89.7%27.5%13.4%30.1%62.8%57.8%1031
Kenya96.2%31.3%12.3%63.1%43.5%45.6%1001
US84.8%23.6%12.2%29.5%61.0%48.0%2108
Philippines92.4%29.9%10.5%42.1%49.9%45.6%1016
South Africa95.3%24.9%10.3%52.1%51.5%36.2%1010
Lebanon97.3%20.2%10.0%44.9%49.8%34.7%251
Saudi Arabia88.8%22.9%9.8%47.0%55.6%52.1%1009
Poland92.1%19.0%7.8%33.9%53.6%47.7%1031
Japan74.1%11.9%7.4%18.6%69.9%60.4%1007
Mexico84.4%16.7%6.9%34.0%56.9%50.4%1005
Italy91.6%13.8%6.3%29.6%61.0%46.4%1038
China68.9%20.0%43.2%51.1%54.0%1064
Hong Kong91.4%22.1%32.4%63.3%65.2%1009

Ownership by demographic group

Share currently owning bitcoin, all respondents.
GroupCurrently own bitcoin
All adults13.2%
Men17.3%
Women8.9%
Age 18–2910.8%
Age 30–4416.3%
Age 45–6414.2%
Age 65+7.5%
Higher income19.6%
Middle income13.3%
Lower income8.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher17.3%
Less than bachelor's10.1%
Trust government16.8%
Do not trust government11.8%
Confidence in financial institutions14.1%
Low confidence in financial institutions11.9%

Perceptions of bitcoin

Share rating each statement above neutral (5–7 on a 1–7 scale).
StatementAll aware of bitcoinCurrent owners
Bitcoin increases my financial freedom46.7%79.4%
Bitcoin is volatile60.0%69.5%
Bitcoin is easy to use37.8%75.1%
Bitcoin protects my privacy41.6%75.4%
Bitcoin reduces transaction fees33.9%61.2%
Bitcoin is confusing52.9%40.6%
Bitcoin is prone to fraud46.5%39.8%

Perceived risk of bitcoin relative to other assets

Share of bitcoin-aware respondents rating bitcoin as higher, equal, or lower risk than each asset.
AssetBitcoin higher riskEqual riskBitcoin lower risk
Gold48.5%31.0%20.5%
Real Estate45.8%35.1%19.1%
US Dollar43.9%34.5%21.6%
Euro41.8%36.6%21.5%
Government Bonds40.9%37.4%21.7%
British Pound40.1%39.3%20.6%
Swiss Franc38.9%40.7%20.4%
Japanese Yen37.2%40.1%22.7%
Corporate Bonds35.3%43.7%21.0%
Chinese Yuan34.9%41.0%24.1%
Stocks34.4%45.5%20.1%

How current owners hold bitcoin

Respondents were not asked who controls the private keys, and no custodial-wallet option was offered, so the wallet categories report a method of holding rather than verified self-custody.

Why owners use bitcoin

Why non-owners have never owned bitcoin

Why stablecoin owners hold stablecoins

Country profiles

Weekly analyses

All 125 survey questions

  1. CU1 — An account can be used to save money, to make or to receive payments, or to receive wages or financial help. Do you, either by yourself or together with someone else, currently hav
  2. CU2 — Do you own any of the following financial assets? Please select all that apply.
  3. CU3 — Have you heard about cryptocurrencies (A cryptocurrency is digital money that doesn't require a bank or financial institution to verify transactions and can be used for purchases o
  4. CU4 — Will cryptocurrencies become the main form of payment in your country?
  5. CU5 — On a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 indicating not knowledgeable at all and 10 indicating very knowledgeable, how knowledgeable would you say you are about cryptocurrencies?
  6. CU6 — Bitcoin is a commonly used cryptocurrency. Have you heard about Bitcoin?
  7. CU7 — Have you heard about the following cryptocurrencies? Check all that apply.
  8. CU8 — On a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 indicating not knowledgeable at all and 10 indicating very knowledgeable, how knowledgeable would you say you are about Bitcoin?
  9. CU9 — Thinking specifically about Bitcoin, will it become the main form of payment in your country?
  10. CU10 — Have you ever owned Bitcoin?
  11. CU11 — In what year did you first own Bitcoin?
  12. CU12 — How do you hold Bitcoin?
  13. CU13 — How did you hold Bitcoin?
  14. CU14 — How often do you use Bitcoin in transactions?
  15. CU15 — How often did you use Bitcoin in transactions?
  16. CU16 — Why do you no longer own Bitcoin? Please select all that apply.
  17. CU17 — Why have you never owned Bitcoin? Please select all that apply.
  18. CU18 — How likely are you to increase your use of Bitcoin transactions in the next 12 months?
  19. CU19 — How likely are you to use Bitcoin in the next 12 months?
  20. CU20 — What would make you more likely to use Bitcoin? Please select all that apply.
  21. CU21_1 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Personal freedom
  22. CU21_2 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Privacy
  23. CU21_3 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Investment opportu
  24. CU21_4 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Diversification of
  25. CU21_5 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Guard against infl
  26. CU21_6 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Guard against decr
  27. CU21_7 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Send or receive mo
  28. CU21_8 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Traditional banks
  29. CU21_9 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Holding hard curre
  30. CU21_10 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Buy goods and serv
  31. CU21_11 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Because someone I
  32. CU21_12 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Curiosity
  33. CU21_13 — Why do you use Bitcoin? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Other
  34. CU22 — What percentage (%) of your savings or investments are in Bitcoin?
  35. CU23 — On a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 indicates no trust at all and 10 indicates a great deal of trust, how much trust do you have in Bitcoin?
  36. CU25_1 — Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- Bitcoin service providers (e.g., exchanges, wallet, payment providers) are trustworthy.
  37. CU25_2 — Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- Electronic transactions made with Bitcoin guarantee the privacy of the data collected in a
  38. CU25_3 — Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- Electronic transactions made with Bitcoin are reliable because they reduce the risk of frau
  39. CU26_1 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Stocks
  40. CU26_2 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Corporate bonds
  41. CU26_3 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Government bonds
  42. CU26_4 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Real estate
  43. CU26_5 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Gold
  44. CU26_6 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- US Dollar
  45. CU26_7 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Euro
  46. CU26_8 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Japanese Yen
  47. CU26_9 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Swiss Franc
  48. CU26_10 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- British Pound
  49. CU26_11 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Chinese Yuan
  50. CU26_12 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Hryvnia
  51. CU26_13 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Argentine Peso
  52. CU26_14 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Bolivar
  53. CU26_15 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Colon
  54. CU26_16 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Rupee
  55. CU26_17 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Naira
  56. CU26_18 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Kenyan Shilling
  57. CU26_19 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Dirham
  58. CU26_20 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Hong Kong Dollar
  59. CU26_21 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Rand
  60. CU26_22 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Rupiah
  61. CU26_23 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Lebanese Pound
  62. CU26_24 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Ruble
  63. CU26_25 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Riyal
  64. CU26_26 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Real
  65. CU26_27 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Mexican Peso
  66. CU26_28 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Złoty
  67. CU26_29 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Won
  68. CU26_30 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Lira
  69. CU26_31 — Compared to the following assets, would you say that owning Bitcoin is higher risk, equal risk, or lower risk? --- Philippine Peso
  70. CU27d_1 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin is volatile
  71. CU27d_2 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin is unregulated
  72. CU27d_3 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin is easy to purchase
  73. CU27d_4 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin is easy to sell
  74. CU27d_5 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin protects my privacy
  75. CU27d_6 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin transactions are prone to fraud
  76. CU27d_7 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin is difficult to understand
  77. CU27d_8 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin is replacing countries' currencies
  78. CU27e_1 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin reduces transaction fees
  79. CU27e_2 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin increases financial freedom
  80. CU27e_3 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin apps are easy to use
  81. CU27e_4 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- I have the necessary resources to use Bitcoin
  82. CU27e_5 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- I have the necessary knowledge to use Bitcoin
  83. CU27e_6 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- Bitcoin is compatible with the technologies I use
  84. CU27e_7 — Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Bitcoin? --- I can get help if I have difficulty using Bitcoin
  85. CU28 — Do you happen to know how many Bitcoins can ever exist?
  86. CU29 — Have you heard about stablecoins (digital currency typically pegged to the value of a commodity, such as gold, or hard currency, such as the US dollar)?
  87. CU30 — On a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 indicating not knowledgeable at all and 10 indicating very knowledgeable, how knowledgeable would you say you are about stablecoins?
  88. CU31 — Have you heard about the following stablecoins? Check all that apply.
  89. CU32 — Will stablecoins such as Tether (USDT) become the main form of payment in your country?
  90. CU33 — Have you ever owned stablecoins?
  91. CU34 — In what year did you first own stablecoins?
  92. CU35_1 — Why do you own stablecoins? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- As a store of
  93. CU35_2 — Why do you own stablecoins? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- To avoid the v
  94. CU35_3 — Why do you own stablecoins? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- To send or rec
  95. CU35_4 — Why do you own stablecoins? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Because otherw
  96. CU35_5 — Why do you own stablecoins? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- To have access
  97. CU35_6 — Why do you own stablecoins? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- To avoid banki
  98. CU35_7 — Why do you own stablecoins? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Holding hard c
  99. CU35_8 — Why do you own stablecoins? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- To buy goods a
  100. CU35_9 — Why do you own stablecoins? (Please indicate how important each of the following reasons is to you, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important) --- Other
  101. CU36 — How often do you use stablecoins in transactions?
  102. CU37 — Why do you not use stablecoins?
  103. CU38_1stitch — CU38_1stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- The government should redistribute income from the better off to those who ar
  104. CU38_2stitch — CU38_2stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- Big business benefits owners at the expense of workers.
  105. CU38_3stitch — CU38_3stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- Ordinary working people do not get their fair share of the nation's wealth
  106. CU38_4stitch — CU38_4stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- There is one law for the rich and one for the poor.
  107. CU38_5stitch — CU38_5stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- Management will always try to get the better of employees if it gets the chan
  108. CU38_6stitch — CU38_6stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- Young people today don't have enough respect for traditional values.
  109. CU38_7stitch — CU38_7stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- Censorship of the media is necessary to uphold moral standards.
  110. CU38_8stitch — CU38_8stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- The law should always be obeyed even if a particular law is wrong
  111. CU38_9stitch — CU38_9stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- People should be more tolerant of those who lead unconventional lives.
  112. CU38_10stitch — CU38_10stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- Children should be taught to obey authority.
  113. CU38_11stitch — CU38_11stitch - Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: --- A good society is one in which all kinds of different opinions and ways of l
  114. CU39 — On a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 indicating not knowledgeable at all and 10 indicating very knowledgeable, how knowledgeable would you say you are about personal finance?
  115. CU40 — Please tell me whether this statement is true or false:Buying a single company's stock usually provides a safer return than an index of stocks.
  116. CU41 — Imagine the interest rate on your savings account was 1% per year and inflation was 2% per year. After 1 year, how much would you be able to buy with this money in this account?
  117. CU42 — Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2% per year. After 5 years, how much do you think you would have left in the account if you left the money to gr
  118. CU43 — How much can you trust the Government in your country to do the right thing? Please place yourself on a 0 to 10 scale where 0 indicates strong distrust that the government will do
  119. CU44 — In your opinion, what is the most important problem facing the country?
  120. CU45 — On a scale of 0-10, how would you rate the government's performance?
  121. CU46 — On a scale of 0-10, how would you say other people in your community would rate the government's performance?
  122. CU47 — To what extent does the following statement describe you (0 to 10 scale):'I assume that people have only the best intentions.'
  123. CU48 — How much confidence do you have in banks and financial institutions?
  124. CU49 — Do you belong to any organizations such as religious organizations, clubs, volunteer associations, or any other types of groups?
  125. CU50 — Have you worked with others in your community to solve a problem in the last 12 months?

Data and citation

Machine-readable data: summary.json (country-level indicators), aggregate.json (pooled global estimates), questions.json (all 125 banner questions by country). CSV exports for any question are available from the Questions page.

Suggested citation: Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University, Cornell Bitcoin Adoption Index, 2026 Edition. Data collected December 2024–March 2025 across 25 countries (n=25,880).

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