Bitcoin price in 2021
How bitcoin's price moved through 2021, month by month, and the events behind the moves.
Bitcoin started at $29,023 on January 1, 2021 and ended 2021 at $46,355, a rise of 59.7%. Its highest daily close was $67,542 on November 8, 2021 and its lowest was $29,381 on January 1, 2021.
2021 at a glance
- Open
- $29,023
- Close
- $46,355
- Change over the year
- +59.7%
- Highest daily close
- $67,542 (Nov 8)
- Lowest daily close
- $29,381 (Jan 1)
- Intraday high (StatMuse)
- $68,790
- Intraday low (StatMuse)
- $28,723
Bitcoin price by month in 2021
| Month | Close | High (daily close) | Low (daily close) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | $33,158 | $40,775 | $29,381 | +14.2% |
| February | $45,359 | $57,501 | $33,570 | +36.8% |
| March | $58,792 | $61,289 | $48,305 | +29.6% |
| April | $57,741 | $63,446 | $48,947 | −1.8% |
| May | $37,313 | $58,736 | $34,682 | −35.4% |
| June | $35,065 | $40,456 | $31,684 | −6.0% |
| July | $41,793 | $41,793 | $29,767 | +19.2% |
| August | $47,219 | $49,591 | $38,289 | +13.0% |
| September | $43,782 | $52,641 | $40,526 | −7.3% |
| October | $61,433 | $66,062 | $47,792 | +40.3% |
| November | $57,097 | $67,542 | $53,801 | −7.1% |
| December | $46,355 | $57,181 | $46,334 | −18.8% |
"Close" is the price at the end of the month's last day. Change is against the previous month's close.
What happened in 2021
- April 14: Coinbase lists its shares on Nasdaq, near a peak of about $64,000.
- May–June: China cracks down on crypto mining, and mining moves abroad; the price falls by about half.
- September 7: El Salvador makes bitcoin legal tender. October 19: the first US bitcoin futures ETF starts trading.
- November: bitcoin reaches a then-record near $69,000, and the Taproot upgrade activates.
What $100 did in 2021
$100 of bitcoin bought at the start of the year ($29,023) would have been worth about $159.72 at the end of 2021, before fees and taxes. Bought at the year's high close instead, it would have been worth $68.63. Timing within a single year mattered a lot. To see what it would be worth today, use the Bitcoin investment calculator.
About these numbers
Prices are Coin Metrics' daily closing reference prices in US dollars. Other sources differ a little: the 2021 close was $46,306 on StatMuse and $46,266 on Coinlore, a gap of 0.2% from ours. See the method and cross-check for every year.
Frequently asked questions
What was the price of bitcoin in 2021?
It ranged from a low daily close of $29,381 to a high of $67,542. It started at $29,023 and ended the year at $46,355.
What was bitcoin's highest price in 2021?
The highest daily close was $67,542 on November 8, 2021. The highest intraday trade, per StatMuse, was $68,790.
Did bitcoin go up or down in 2021?
Up: it gained 59.7% from its opening price to the December 31 close.
Sources
- Coin Metrics free daily network data, PriceUSD (GitHub archive, CC BY-NC 4.0)
- Bitcoin price by year: open, high, low, close (StatMuse Money)
- Bitcoin historical data and yearly returns (Coinlore)
- Bitcoin in El Salvador (Wikipedia)
- History of bitcoin (Wikipedia)
Written for beginners and checked against the sources listed. Last reviewed November 4, 2026. This page is educational and is not financial, tax or legal advice. How we write and check pages.