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Bitcoin's Most and Least Volatile Years

Volatility measures how much a price swings from day to day. This ranks each calendar year since 2015 by bitcoin’s annualized volatility, from 2017 (94%) to 2025 (42%), with each year’s biggest one-day fall and rise and its change over the year.

Data as of · daily closes (UTC) from Yahoo Finance, cross-checked against Blockchain.com · 2026 is a partial year, to Oct 16

Illustration: bitcoin’s annualized volatility by year since 2015, from 94.3% in 2017 to 41.9% in 2025.
Bitcoin's Most and Least Volatile Years, data as of 2026-10-16
Rank Year Annualized volatility Average daily move Biggest one-day fall Biggest one-day rise Change over the year Year direction
1 2017 94.3% 3.54% ▼ −18.7% Sep 14, 2017 ▲ +25.2% Dec 7, 2017 ▲ +1368.90% Up
2 2018 82.0% 2.97% ▼ −16.9% Jan 16, 2018 ▲ +13.2% Apr 12, 2018 ▼ −73.56% Down
3 2021 80.4% 3.12% ▼ −13.8% May 19, 2021 ▲ +18.7% Feb 8, 2021 ▲ +59.67% Up
4 2020 76.7% 2.32% ▼ −37.2% Mar 12, 2020 ▲ +18.2% Mar 19, 2020 ▲ +303.16% Up
5 2015 70.3% 2.28% ▼ −21.1% Jan 14, 2015 ▲ +17.8% Jan 15, 2015 ▲ +34.47% Up
6 2019 67.5% 2.31% ▼ −14.1% Jun 27, 2019 ▲ +17.4% Apr 2, 2019 ▲ +92.20% Up
7 2022 64.2% 2.24% ▼ −16.0% Jun 13, 2022 ▲ +14.5% Feb 28, 2022 ▼ −64.27% Down
8 2024 53.0% 2.03% ▼ −8.3% Mar 19, 2024 ▲ +12.1% Aug 8, 2024 ▲ +121.05% Up
9 2016 48.3% 1.49% ▼ −15.3% Jan 15, 2016 ▲ +11.9% May 28, 2016 ▲ +123.83% Up
10 2026 to Oct 16 45.5% 1.61% ▼ −14.1% Feb 5, 2026 ▲ +12.5% Feb 6, 2026 ▼ −6.87% Down
11 2023 43.3% 1.54% ▼ −7.1% Aug 17, 2023 ▲ +10.3% Oct 23, 2023 ▲ +155.42% Up
12 2025 41.9% 1.57% ▼ −8.7% Mar 3, 2025 ▲ +9.6% Mar 2, 2025 ▼ −6.34% Down

Annualized volatility = the standard deviation of the natural-log daily price changes in that calendar year, multiplied by the square root of 365, because bitcoin trades every day.1 Average daily move = the mean of the absolute daily percentage changes. Change over the year = the last close of the year ÷ the previous year’s last close, minus 1 (2015 starts from its first close; 2026 runs to Oct 16). Each year’s volatility is within 4.3 percentage points of the same calculation on Blockchain.com’s daily average price.2 Volatility says nothing about direction: a year can be volatile and up or down. Observed facts, not a forecast.

The top 8

An annualized volatility of 50% corresponds to a standard deviation of daily price changes of about 2.6%. Bitcoin’s volatility was highest in 2017, and in 2023, 2025 and so far in 2026 it has been lower than in any year before 2023. For individual days, see bitcoin’s biggest one-day drops and gains, and for months, its best and worst months.

#1

2017

94.3%

Bitcoin’s annualized volatility was 94.3% over 364 daily moves.1 The average daily move, up or down, was 3.54%. The largest one-day fall was 18.7% on Sep 14, 2017 and the largest one-day rise 25.2% on Dec 7, 2017.1 Over the year bitcoin’s close went from $963.74 to $14,156, up 1368.9%.1

#2

2018

82.0%

Bitcoin’s annualized volatility was 82.0% over 364 daily moves.1 The average daily move, up or down, was 2.97%. The largest one-day fall was 16.9% on Jan 16, 2018 and the largest one-day rise 13.2% on Apr 12, 2018.1 Over the year bitcoin’s close went from $14,156 to $3,743, down 73.6%.1

#3

2021

80.4%

Bitcoin’s annualized volatility was 80.4% over 364 daily moves.1 The average daily move, up or down, was 3.12%. The largest one-day fall was 13.8% on May 19, 2021 and the largest one-day rise 18.7% on Feb 8, 2021.1 Over the year bitcoin’s close went from $29,002 to $46,306, up 59.7%.1

#4

2020

76.7%

Bitcoin’s annualized volatility was 76.7% over 365 daily moves.1 The average daily move, up or down, was 2.32%. The largest one-day fall was 37.2% on Mar 12, 2020 and the largest one-day rise 18.2% on Mar 19, 2020.1 Over the year bitcoin’s close went from $7,194 to $29,002, up 303.2%.1

#5

2015

70.3%

Bitcoin’s annualized volatility was 70.3% over 364 daily moves.1 The average daily move, up or down, was 2.28%. The largest one-day fall was 21.1% on Jan 14, 2015 and the largest one-day rise 17.8% on Jan 15, 2015.1 Over the year bitcoin’s close went from $320.19 to $430.57, up 34.5%.1

#6

2019

67.5%

Bitcoin’s annualized volatility was 67.5% over 364 daily moves.1 The average daily move, up or down, was 2.31%. The largest one-day fall was 14.1% on Jun 27, 2019 and the largest one-day rise 17.4% on Apr 2, 2019.1 Over the year bitcoin’s close went from $3,743 to $7,194, up 92.2%.1

#7

2022

64.2%

Bitcoin’s annualized volatility was 64.2% over 364 daily moves.1 The average daily move, up or down, was 2.24%. The largest one-day fall was 16.0% on Jun 13, 2022 and the largest one-day rise 14.5% on Feb 28, 2022.1 Over the year bitcoin’s close went from $46,306 to $16,547, down 64.3%.1

#8

2024

53.0%

Bitcoin’s annualized volatility was 53.0% over 365 daily moves.1 The average daily move, up or down, was 2.03%. The largest one-day fall was 8.3% on Mar 19, 2024 and the largest one-day rise 12.1% on Aug 8, 2024.1 Over the year bitcoin’s close went from $42,265 to $93,429, up 121.1%.1

Sources

  1. Yahoo Finance, Bitcoin USD (BTC-USD) daily history, daily closes in UTC, January 1, 2015 to October 16, 2026, retrieved 2026-10-22.
  2. Blockchain.com, Market Price (USD), daily average USD price across major exchanges, via the charts API, retrieved 2026-10-22 (cross-check; its data runs to Oct 11, 2026).

For information only. Not financial advice. See the terms of use.