Bitcoin mining difficulty has remained below its peak for 374 consecutive days, marking the longest such stretch in history.

Bitcoin's mining difficulty has stayed below the all-time high of 155.97T set on October 29, 2025, for 374 consecutive days — the longest such period in the network's history, exceeding the previous records of 364 days after the 2011 market crash and 253 days following China's 2021 mining ban. Economist Saifedean Ammous noted that neither the 2011 price pullback nor China's mining ban lasted as long, calling this a "new world" for Bitcoin mining. The difficulty fell to a low of 124.93T in mid-June 2026, roughly 20% lower than its peak. Though it rebounded to 148.36T in October, Mempool.space forecasts another ~3.7% drop around November 13, further delaying a new all-time high. Reportedly, the pressures stem from low Bitcoin prices, public mining firms selling off Bitcoin and shifting focus to AI, as well as Democratic efforts to impose data center restrictions after the midterm elections, which could also impact mining companies.