Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Jumps 35% as Hashrate Hits Record Levels
Data reveals that in 2025, Bitcoin mining became significantly more challenging for miners, with Difficulty experiencing a net increase of 35%. As 2025 approaches its end, it’s evident that Bitcoin miners have made substantial strides in expanding their operations this year. Data reveals that the network Hashrate, which quantifies the total computing power contributed by miners, has experienced a significant increase in its 7-day average value, rising from 795.7 terahashes per second at the beginning of the year to 1070.3 TH/s as of today. In this growth phase, the Hashrate achieved several new records, culminating in an all-time high of 1,151.6 TH/s in October. The metric has experienced a slowdown since then, yet despite the decline to its current level, it still shows an increase of approximately 34.5% since January 1st.
Bitcoin miner revenue primarily derives from the block subsidy, which stays constant in BTC value except during Halving events. Consequently, miners often rely on price increases to enhance their earnings. This is why the hashrate typically aligns with the price trend. The chart clearly shows that the Hashrate reached its all-time high immediately following the peak in the cryptocurrency market, and the subsequent decline in this metric has coincided with a decrease in price. Despite BTC’s year-to-date decline, miners have demonstrated remarkable resilience, with the Hashrate continuing to show significant upward momentum.
The rise in Bitcoin’s Hashrate consistently leads to a corresponding uptick in a key metric known as Difficulty. The Difficulty is an integral aspect embedded in the blockchain’s code, regulating the challenge miners face in uncovering the next block on the network. The value adjusts automatically approximately every two weeks, reflecting the performance of miners since the previous adjustment. Satoshi established a standard block time of 10 minutes for the network to adhere to; if miners consistently add blocks in a time frame quicker than this, the chain adjusts the Difficulty upwards. The precise extent of the upward adjustment is consistently calibrated to offset the acceleration in miners’ operations. In other words, it offsets the surge in the Hashrate. In a year marked by growth for miners, Bitcoin found itself consistently raising its Difficulty, achieving new all-time highs along the way.
Following the establishment of a new record exceeding 155 trillion hashes in October, the Bitcoin Difficulty has experienced a downturn. Despite this, the metric currently sits at approximately 148.2, reflecting a 35% increase from the 109.8 trillion hashes recorded at the beginning of the year. The increase in Difficulty has closely mirrored that of the Hashrate, a typical outcome of the former responding to the latter. Bitcoin experienced a brief surge above $89,000 earlier, but the momentum appears to have faded as the cryptocurrency has retraced to $87,300.
