Bitcoin’s mining difficulty increased by 1.31% at block height 965,664, marking the eighth upward adjustment of 2026. The change comes as recent price strength continues to support miner revenue, even as network competition tightens.
Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Rises 1.31%
The latest difficulty retarget makes the network 1.31% harder to mine than during the prior 2,016-block period. Bitcoin’s protocol adjusts difficulty roughly every two weeks to maintain an average block interval of about 10 minutes, responding to changes in the total computing power securing the network.
What the Adjustment Means
- Higher difficulty reduces the expected number of bitcoins mined per unit of hashrate, all else equal.
- Miner revenue now depends more heavily on bitcoin’s market price and transaction fees to offset the tighter competition.
- This is the eighth difficulty increase so far in 2026, underscoring steady competitive pressure among miners.
Context and Outlook
While bitcoin’s price has recently bolstered mining revenue, recurring difficulty increases can compress margins for less efficient operators. Future adjustments will hinge on aggregate network hashrate and realized block times over the next 2,016 blocks. Operators and observers will be watching deployment of new rigs, electricity costs, and broader market conditions ahead of the next retarget.