Bitcoin’s mining difficulty eased on Thursday, sliding 3.28% from 146.47 trillion to 141.67 trillion. The change took effect at block height 933408 and will remain in place for the next 2,016 blocks, a temporary setting that brings the network back to a level not seen since September 2025. At the same time, mining revenue metrics have weakened: revenue per petahash (PH/s) fell 5.45% over the past week while hashprice moved from $42.20 on Jan. 14 to $39.90 on Jan. 22.
Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Drops in January 2026
The 3.28% reduction sets difficulty at 141.67 trillion, easing the work required to find blocks for the next two-week period. This level matches a range last observed when difficulty was 142.34 trillion on Sept. 18, 2025, underscoring how the protocol resets in response to changing hashpower. For additional reading on recent miner economics, see December 2025 profitability.
Impact on Bitcoin Miners
Lower difficulty modestly improves the chance that existing rigs will find blocks, which provides short-term relief for operators whose per-PH revenue has declined. Over the seven days referenced, revenue per PH/s fell 5.45%, and hashprice dropped from $42.20 to $39.90 between Jan. 14 and Jan. 22, reducing margins for miners of all sizes. While a difficulty cut can help throughput for working equipment, it does not change the underlying trend of weaker short-term revenue for miners.
Bitcoin’s Self-Correcting Mechanism
- Difficulty is recalculated roughly every two weeks to keep average block times near ten minutes.
- Adjustments depend on the total network hashpower: when hashpower falls, difficulty loosens; when it rises, difficulty tightens.
- So far in 2026 there have been two difficulty changes, and both were reductions, reflecting recent hashpower movements.
Historical Context of Difficulty Adjustments
The most recent prior change before this 3.28% drop was a 1.20% decline, which itself followed a modest 0.04% increase on Dec. 24, 2025. Returning to a difficulty near the September 2025 reading shows the protocol's automated balancing over multiple adjustment periods. For more on the small December change that preceded these moves, see Dec. 24 increase.
Why this matters (short, for miners in Russia with 1–1,000 devices)
A lower difficulty slightly raises the effective output of working rigs, which can help when short-term hashprice and per-PH revenue are slipping. For miners paying local electricity rates in Russia, the reduction may improve daily BTC yields enough to cover fixed costs for a brief period, but it doesn't change week‑to‑week revenue trends noted above. In practice, this means operators have a small window to stabilize runs, check efficiency, and avoid knee‑jerk decisions that increase risk.
What to do? (practical steps)
- Check your rig efficiency and firmware: small tweaks can improve uptime and hash per watt without extra expense.
- Recalculate break‑even using the current hashprice ($39.90) and recent revenue declines to see if any machines should be paused.
- Prioritize maintenance and spare parts for the most efficient units to maximize returns during this relief window.
- Track the next difficulty update and short‑term hashprice changes rather than making large capacity moves immediately.
FAQ
What caused Bitcoin’s latest mining difficulty change? The network’s automatic recalculation lowered difficulty after a reduction in total hashpower, triggering the adjustment at block 933,408.
How much did difficulty fall? Difficulty declined by 3.28%, bringing the setting to 141.67 trillion for the next 2,016 blocks.
Why does Bitcoin adjust difficulty every two weeks? The protocol recalibrates roughly every two weeks to keep average block intervals close to ten minutes regardless of changes in mining power.
Does the drop help miners now? Yes—briefly. The reduction gives miners a modest, temporary relief while hashprice and revenue per PH/s have been sliding.
