Definition

Hash rate

The total computational power being used to mine and process transactions on a Proof-of-Work blockchain, measured in hashes per second.

Bitcoin's hash rate is the cumulative output of all miners worldwide. Higher hash rate means more computational work is being thrown at finding the next block, which directly increases the cost an attacker would pay to mount a 51% attack. Bitcoin's hash rate has grown roughly 10⁹× since 2010.

Hash rate is denominated in exa-hashes per second (EH/s) for Bitcoin in 2025-2026. One EH/s = 10¹⁸ hashes per second. The network adjusts difficulty every 2,016 blocks (~2 weeks) so that blocks remain ~10 minutes apart regardless of hash-rate fluctuations.

Hash rate often follows price with a lag. When BTC rallies, mining becomes more profitable and miners deploy more hardware; when BTC crashes, marginal miners shut off rigs. This dynamic makes hash rate a coincident-to-lagging indicator of miner conviction, not a leading indicator of price.

Why it matters

Hash rate is Bitcoin's security budget. Falling hash rate signals miner stress; sustained hash-rate ATHs signal long-term miner confidence.

How CryptoRadar24 tracks it

CryptoRadar24 surfaces hash-rate trends when reporting on Bitcoin network health, miner capitulation, or post-halving dynamics.

Related terms

Halving
Scheduled reduction of block mining rewards by 50%, reducing the rate of new coin issuance.
Block reward
The newly minted coins paid to a miner or validator for proposing a valid block, plus the transaction fees in that block.
GitHub Activity
Measure of a crypto project's code development pace on GitHub.

FAQ

What unit is Bitcoin hash rate measured in?

Currently exa-hashes per second (EH/s, 10¹⁸ H/s). It crossed 1 EH/s in late 2016 and is now 600+ EH/s — a 600× increase in under a decade.

Does higher hash rate mean higher security?

Yes. The cost to attack the network scales with hash rate. At 600 EH/s, a 51% attack would require deploying ~$10B+ of hardware plus electricity for the duration of the attack.

What is "miner capitulation"?

When BTC price falls below the marginal miner's break-even cost, inefficient miners shut off rigs, hash rate drops, and weak hands sell. Historically these have marked cyclical bottoms.

Do altcoins also have hash rate?

Only PoW altcoins (Litecoin, Dogecoin merged-mined with LTC, Monero, etc.). Proof-of-Stake chains have "stake rate" instead — total tokens locked securing the network.