Bitcoin difficulty is back in the spotlight, and our focus keyphrase is bitcoin difficulty. According to the source, the latest adjustment on September 18, 2025, increased by 4.63%, lifting bitcoin difficulty to a record 142.34 trillion. Meanwhile, network power remains elevated above the 1 zettahash threshold.
Record difficulty, steady network power
As of September 19, 2025, the Bitcoin network’s hashrate stands at 1,016.03 exahash per second (1.016 ZH/s). It recently exceeded 1 zettahash and briefly reached 1.13 ZH/s. Therefore, miners continue to supply substantial compute, even as bitcoin difficulty rises.
Such milestones highlight the system’s competitiveness. However, the increased bitcoin difficulty also implies tougher block discovery conditions. As a result, miners must deploy more efficient rigs or additional power to maintain output.
Margins tighten for miners
Miner profitability is under pressure. Hashprice—an estimate of revenue per petahash per second—is $51.37, down 7.91% from last month. Consequently, higher bitcoin difficulty and softer hashprice are squeezing margins.
Key factors miners watch include:
- Bitcoin difficulty trends after each two-week adjustment.
- Network hashrate stability around the 1 ZH/s level.
- Hashprice movements impacting daily revenue.
For context on network metrics, see this overview of hashrate. Additionally, understanding reserve-backed assets can help when assessing risk; read our guide on how stablecoins work.
Looking ahead, if hashrate stays elevated, bitcoin difficulty could remain near records. However, if profitability worsens, some miners may scale back, which could ease the next adjustment.
