How many cryptocurrencies are there?
Somewhere between 17,000 and more than 50 million, depending on what you count.
It depends what you count. CoinGecko listed about 17,400 coins with real trading markets in mid-2026, while CoinMarketCap had detected more than 50 million tokens ever created, most of them abandoned meme tokens. A few dozen account for almost all of the market's value.
Why the numbers differ so much
Creating a token takes minutes and costs very little. Launch sites for meme tokens have produced millions of them, and most die within a day: of more than 18 million tokens launched on one such site between January 2024 and June 2026, about 80% stopped trading within 24 hours.
| Count | Roughly | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Coins listed by CoinGecko (with active markets, after review) | 17,400 | June 2026 |
| Tokens detected by CoinMarketCap on tracked blockchains | 52.8 million | June 2026 |
How many actually matter?
Bitcoin alone is usually more than half the total value of all crypto. Add Ethereum and the two largest stablecoins and you typically cover about three-quarters. Most of the rest have tiny value and little trading.
The easier a token is to create, the easier it is to create a worthless or fraudulent one. Treat unknown tokens with great caution.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest cryptocurrency?
Bitcoin, by a wide margin.
Why are there so many cryptocurrencies?
Anyone can create a token cheaply in minutes, so millions have been made, most as short-lived meme tokens.
Where to next
Sources
Written for beginners and checked against the sources listed. Last reviewed October 26, 2026. This page is educational and is not financial, tax or legal advice. How we write and check pages.