Bitcoin dominance is bitcoin's market capitalisationMarket capitalisationThe total value of all units of a coin in circulation, calculated as the price of one unit times the number of units. as a share of the combined market capitalisation of all cryptocurrencies. If the market cap of all cryptocurrencies together were ISK 1,000 billion and bitcoin's were ISK 600 billion, bitcoin dominance would be 60%. The figure shows how big a share of the whole crypto market bitcoin holds. The Icelandic term is yfirburðir bitcoin.
What does the figure tell you?
In the early years, BitcoinBitcoinThe first and largest cryptocurrency: a digital currency that no single party controls, with a fixed limit of 21 million coins. was almost the only cryptocurrency, and its share was close to 100%. Since then, thousands of other coins have appeared. In October 2026 the figure was about 60%, according to the price sites CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap.
Many people follow the figure to get a sense of the mood in the market:
- When dominance rises, bitcoin has risen more, or fallen less, than other coins. Many read this as investors being more cautious, because bitcoin is the largest and oldest coin and is seen as a safer choice than smaller ones.
- When dominance falls, other coins, known as altcoinsAltcoinA catch-all term for every cryptocurrency other than bitcoin, short for "alternative coin"., have risen more than bitcoin. Such periods are sometimes called altcoin season.
What to keep in mind
- Stablecoins play a part. StablecoinsStablecoinA cryptocurrency designed to keep a steady price, usually by tracking the US dollar or another currency. are included in the total. When more of them are issued, the total grows and bitcoin's share falls, without anyone buying other coins.
- Sites don't quite agree. Price sites don't all count the same coins, so the figure can differ slightly depending on where you look.
- It describes today. Bitcoin dominance says nothing about where prices are heading, for bitcoin or any other coin.
Everything in Myntkaup Learn is written and regularly reviewed by the Myntkaup editorial team. It is for education and is not investment advice. Editorial policy. Updated 18 October 2026.