Bitcoin dominance has climbed back to territory it last occupied in 2021. Investopedia reported on November 13, 2024, that the Bitcoin Dominance Index — which measures Bitcoin’s share of the overall crypto market — reached 61.39%, a level not seen since March 2021. CoinGecko’s research separately recorded the metric crossing 60.0% on April 7, 2025, when it reached 60.5%; the previous reading above that threshold came on March 15, 2021, at 60.6%.
For traders who watch the balance between Bitcoin and altcoins, that round trip matters. 2021 was the year Bitcoin’s share of the market collapsed, and the climb back toward those old levels has unfolded in clearly documented steps. Here is what the numbers show, where they come from, and why the 2021 benchmark still frames how the metric is read.
What Is Bitcoin Dominance?
Bitcoin dominance measures Bitcoin’s market capitalisation as a share of the total cryptocurrency market. TradingView defines it as Bitcoin market cap divided by total crypto market cap, multiplied by 100. In plain terms, the metric shows how much of the market’s total value sits in Bitcoin rather than in altcoins: when dominance rises, a larger slice of crypto’s value is concentrated in Bitcoin, and when it falls, altcoins hold a bigger share.
How Bitcoin Dominance Collapsed in 2021
The 2021 cycle was marked by a sharp slide in Bitcoin’s share. CoinGecko’s historical analysis recorded Bitcoin dominance at 70.7% on January 3, 2021. By April 12, 2021, CoinDesk reported the metric had dropped to about 55%, the lowest since April 2019. Then, on April 22, 2021, CoinDesk said it slipped below 50% for the first time since 2018, with CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko data showing 48%. Financial Magnates then reported a low of 47.9% on April 30, 2021.
The decline did not stop there. CoinGecko says Bitcoin dominance ended 2021 at 38.2%. The Cryptonomist described the same period as a fall from 70% to 38%, while altcoin dominance rose from 30% to 62% over the year.
Different providers summarise that year differently. CoinCodex’s historical table lists 2021 Bitcoin dominance at 41%, while CoinGecko’s 2021 Year-End Report put the metric at 45.3% in its “Top 30 Coins Dominance” section. The spread is a useful reminder that the exact figure varies by provider and refresh time.
The Climb Back Toward 2021 Levels
The recovery shows up across independent reports stretching over more than a year. A Binance Square post dated October 22, 2023, noted that the Bitcoin dominance rate had reached 52.72% on October 21, reaching the level of April 2021. A year later, Yahoo Finance reported on October 24, 2024, that dominance had reached over 57%, again the highest since April 2021.
The following day, The Defiant reported on October 25, 2024 that the metric stood at 59.2% — also described as the highest since April 2021 — and noted it was up 51% since FTX collapsed and 16% since the beginning of 2024. Weeks later came the Investopedia report of 61.39%, and CoinGecko’s April 7, 2025 research then recorded the move back above 60.0%.
Bitcoin Dominance by Year
CoinCodex’s year-by-year table makes the shape of the recovery easy to see. Its historical data lists Bitcoin dominance at 41% for 2021, 40% for 2022, 51% for 2023, and 57% for 2024 — a step-by-step rebuild from the lows of the last altcoin-heavy stretch of the market.
Recent Readings Vary by Provider
Live dashboards rarely agree to the decimal. CoinGecko’s Bitcoin dominance chart displayed 57.38%, while CoinCodex showed 59.36%. CoinMarketCap’s dominance chart showed Bitcoin at 59.1%, Ethereum at 11.1%, and the remaining coins grouped as Others at 29.8%. The exact figure varies by provider and refresh time, but each of these readings is closer to the 2021 range than to the 38.2% year-end figure recorded for 2021.
What Dominance Means for Altcoins
Bitcoin dominance matters because it measures the balance between Bitcoin and the rest of the market. Paybis notes that Bitcoin dominance sat at 45% in May 2021 and climbed to 58% by July 2021 as the market crashed. The Cryptonomist’s review of the year found the mirror image on the way down: as Bitcoin dominance fell from 70% to 38% during 2021, altcoin dominance grew from 30% to 62%.
Yahoo Finance’s October 24, 2024 report described the climb past 57% as indicating a market preference for Bitcoin’s stability over altcoins.
Why the 2021 Benchmark Matters
The 2021 data gives recent readings their context. The metric started that year at 70.7% on January 3, fell below 50% in April, and ended the year at 38.2%, according to CoinGecko. Every recent reading cited above — whether 57.38%, 59.36%, or 61.39% — sits closer to the 2021 range than to the 38.2% figure where that year finished. For traders who use dominance as a measure of how much of the crypto market is concentrated in Bitcoin, the return to this range is a meaningful move, and the 2021 benchmarks above remain the fixed points against which each new snapshot is judged.