of Germans
own cryptocurrency
It is estimated that 4.9 million people, 5.8% of Germany’s total population, currently own cryptocurrency.
Breaking down cryptocurrency ownership by income, ownership levels are significantly higher among the wealthy. 67% of the surveyed Germans have an annual income over €800,000, 44% of them between €200,000 to €800,000, at least twice that of other income groups.
Majority of German cryptocurrency owners are in the 25-44 age group (67%). Only 9% of them are 55 and above. This suggests that cryptocurrencies are largely owned by German millennials.
Majority of German cryptocurrency owners (73%) hold a diploma or a lower educational qualification. Only 27% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
From the survey conducted, we see a staggering 86% of German adults have heard of cryptocurrencies. This has risen across our data findings by a significant 6 percentage points in 2022 – from 80% in 2021. This suggests a growing awareness among Germans regarding cryptocurrency.
We see 5.8% of German adults currently hold cryptocurrency, or approximately 4.9m people in 2022. By comparison, our data shows that crypto ownership in Germany has risen rapidly from 2.6% in 2021.
Bitcoin remains the most popular choice for crypto owners in France, with more than 72% of crypto owner respondents possessing Bitcoin. Ethereum follows closely in second place given the cryptocurrency’s wide applications, followed by Tether (USDT), Ripple (XRP) and other Altcoins.
People are increasingly seeing cryptocurrency as a safe asset and alternative to national currencies, with majority of German crypto owners holding more than EUR$1,000 in crypto assets. A significant number of German crypto owners (16%) also have more than EUR$10,000 in crypto assets.
The number of German crypto owners using crypto for purchases is also seeing growth. Despite a lower proportion of users using crypto for purchases at first glance, a closer look will reveal an increase of 600,000 crypto users that are using crypto for purchases in 2022.
Almost 35% of German crypto owners are using cryptocurrency for purchases.
72% of German crypto spenders are spending more than EUR$100 of crypto for purchases monthly, with a sizeable crowd (35%) being large spenders of more than EUR$1,000 monthly.
Survey results show that cryptocurrency payment services are eagerly anticipated across the retail industry. Respondents showed interest in all the major categories ranging from Entertainment, E-commerce and Luxury Retail, etc.
Cryptocurrency is gaining the attention it deserves. 2021 was the year that cryptocurrency was in the spotlight as major institutions, celebrities and public figures all jumped on the crypto bandwagon. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies also broke through all-time highs.
Majority of German survey respondents (46%) are also seeking to increase their holdings of cryptocurrency over the next year.
Majority of non-crypto respondents (67%) cited a lack of knowledge for not owning cryptocurrency, presenting strong potential for increasing cryptocurrency adoption with proper channelized education and awareness.
Additionally, greater adoption of cryptocurrency payment options across merchants can also have a network effect on more rapid adoption of cryptocurrency in the populace, given that 20.3% of respondents cited not owning cryptocurrency as their current merchants do not accept it.
Given increasing cryptocurrency adoption in today’s world, businesses would benefit by integrating cryptocurrency payment into their payment ecosystem. In fact, 67% of German crypto respondents agree that businesses would stand to benefit from adopting cryptocurrency payments.
