Bitcoin adoption has officially reached 4.7% of the global population, mirroring the same stage of growth the Internet achieved in 1997, according to new data, sourced from WooCharts.
This milestone reinforces Bitcoin’s place on the classic S-curve of technological adoption, suggesting the digital asset is still in the early phases of exponential global growth. Analysts note that the 4–5% range historically represents a pivotal “inflection point”, the stage where new technologies transition from niche use to mainstream integration.
For context, Internet adoption grew from 4.7% in 1997 to more than 60% by 2010, a 13-year explosion that reshaped communication, commerce, and finance. If Bitcoin follows a similar trajectory, analysts project over 1 billion global users by the early 2030s, driven by expanding institutional infrastructure, ETF accessibility, and rising use in emerging economies.
This parallel has reignited discussion among long-term investors, many of whom view Bitcoin as the Internet of value, an open monetary protocol now entering its mass adoption phase. Institutional interest, regulatory clarity, and technological scaling (like the Lightning Network and Ordinals) continue to accelerate global participation.
As Bitcoin sits near 4.7% adoption, it may soon enter its equivalent of the Internet’s 2000s boom, a period defined not just by speculative excitement but by transformative economic utility and network effects that change how the world stores and transfers wealth.