49 NFT Statistics 2026 – Worldwide Data & Market Forecast

In 2025, the NFT landscape continues evolving with shifting user trends, marketplace dominance, and valuation dynamics. With 11.58 million users globally and projected growth to 11.64 million, NFTs remain highly popular despite a market cooldown.

OpenSea alone handles 90% of all NFT trading volume, with $14.68 billion in volume. However, market value is expected to drop by 11.01%, indicating a transitional phase.

From $24 billion spent on NFT platforms in 2022 to the rise of meme NFTs selling for millions, these statistics paint a detailed picture of an industry balancing between hype, maturity, and innovation.

NFT Statistics 2026 – Top Picks

  • There are $11.58 million NFT users worldwide, which is anticipated to reach $11.64 million.
  • NFT sales reached $85.97 million in the first week of October 2024.
  • The number of NFT buyers has reached 794,763, while the number of sellers is 377,711.
  • The NFT market is estimated to be valued at $683.9 million.
  • The average revenue per user in the NFT market is estimated to be $59. 
  • OpenSea is the biggest NFT market worldwide.

Detailed NFT Statistics

Let us have a detailed look at the NFT statistics below.

1. Currently, The Number Of NFT Users Worldwide Is 11.58 million. 

The number of NFT users is expected to reach 11.64 million by 2025, compared to 10.24 million in 2023 and 8.73 million in 2022.


Source: Statista

2.) 10,000 Wallets Interact With NFTs On Any Given Day

Over 12,000 NFT sales occur every day.

It has also been disclosed that over 10,000 active wallets are engaging with NFTs every day, as well as approximately 6,000 unique purchasers.

Source: Bankless Times

3.) The NFT Market Is Estimated To Decline By 11.01% Between 2024 And 2025 

The NFT market is projected to reach $683.9 million in 2024. However, it is expected to decline by 11.01%, to $608.6 million, in 2025.

Source: Statista

The Largest NFT Marketplace Is OpenSea

OpenSea is the largest P2P marketplace for Non-Fungible Tokens, with a total trading volume of roughly $14.68 billion.

OpenSea takes 90% of all the NFT trading volume. 

OpenSea recorded an all-time high trading volume of $3.7 billion in January 2022

The brand has also aided in the creation of several other competitors, like Axie Infinity, which is currently valued at $3.94 billion. The CryptoPunks ($2.40 bil) and the NBA Top Shot ($0.78 bil) are two more well-known markets.

Top Marketplaces For NFTs

Below is the overview of the Top Marketplaces for NFTs

Market Average Price Traders Volume, Billions
OpenSea $938.99 1,387,357 $14.68
Axie Infinity $216.15 1,624,169 $3.94
CryptoPunks $123,690.00 5,600 $2.40
NBA Top Shot $63.63 492,039 $0.78
Magic Eden $308.74 304,403 $0.62
Solanart $1,100.00 170,703 $0.59
Mobox $790.81 59,178 $0.53
AtomicMarket $24.98 895,199 $0.32
Rarible $990.79 92,115 $0.28
SuperRare.co $7,940.00 5,493 $0.21

4.) Over $24 Billion Was Spent On NFT Platforms In 2022

The NFT industry generated $24.7 billion in sales in 2022. However, it could not surpass traditional art sales. These traditional sales reached $67.8 billion in 2022.

Source: Decrypt

5.) Over 50% Of Total NFT Sales Are Under $200

Not all NFTs generate millions in revenue. Around 53.6% of the documented NFT sales are recorded as less than $200. More than 75% of NFTs are valued below $100.

Source: NonFungible

6.) In 2021, About 28.6 Million Wallets Traded NFTs

NFT sales volumes totaled roughly $24.9 billion in 2021, a tremendous rise from roughly $94.9 million in 2020, per the source.

Notably, the number of wallets trading in NFTs increased considerably in 2021, from roughly 545,000 in 2020 to around 28.6 million. The most valuable items were usually the most volatile.

Source: Reuters

7.) The NFT Market Grew Nearly Tenfold From 2018 To 2020

As per the source, around 1,000 to 3,000 unique wallets bought NFTs on most days in April and May 2021.

In April, there were over 30,000 unique purchasers, and in May, there were about 25,000. This is a tiny decrease from March’s 39,000 unique purchasers, but it represents a huge rise over 2020, when most months had fewer than 10,000 unique customers.

Source: Statista

8.) Cryptopunks Are Responsible For 5 Of The Top 20 NFT Sales

CryptoPunks, a Larvalabs brainchild, runs on the Ethereum blockchain network.

Due to their rarity, they are incredibly popular. For example, CryptoPunk #7523 sold for around $11.8 million, whereas #3100 sold for $7.7 million, making them the 4th- and 5th-highest NFT sales, respectively.

The NFT ecosystem continues to expand, not just in art and collectibles but also in gaming, real estate, and identity verification.

This growth is closely tied to the increasing number of cryptocurrencies and blockchains that support NFT functionality. The Number of cryptos supporting NFT projects plays a key role in driving adoption by enabling faster transactions, lower fees, and more diverse use cases. As more platforms integrate NFT capabilities, the market is expected to grow even further.

9.) Between Quarter 2 of 2021 and Quarter 3 of 2021, The Amount Of NFT Trading Increased By More Than 700%

Throughout 2021, the NFT surge was impossible to ignore, with quarterly trade volumes increasing by multiple folds between Q2 and Q3. The total value of all global NFT transactions in Q3 was $10.7 billion.

Source: CNBC

10.) The Chinese And Singaporeans Are The Most Enthusiastic About NFTs

Citizens of China and Singapore are the most interested in NFTs, according to Google Trends. The third-place finisher is Venezuela. Surprisingly, the United States did not even make the top ten countries list. This data was acquired over the course of a year by looking at Google Trends.

Source: Google Trends Data

11.) Millennials Are Three Times More Likely Than GenZ To Purchase NFTs

The survey also revealed that widespread interest in NFTs is expanding, owing to a strong desire to “collect.” Around one-fourth of all individuals in the United States claim to have a hobby of collecting tangible objects. Around 42% of millennials also have a tangible collection.

Source: Morning Consult

12.) In 2021, The Nyan Cat GIF Was Sold For $590,000

The famed Nyan Cat GIF, which was minted in February 2021 and has been around for ten years, sold for nearly $600,000. Many other cat NFTs were dethroned after this transaction.

Source: Business Insider

13.) The Merge Is The Most Expensive NFT Ever Sold

It was sold to 28,000 different collectors in parts for a sum of $91.8 million in December 2021.

Most Expensive NFTs Ever SoldMost Expensive NFTs Ever Sold

Here is a table showing the 10 most expensive NFTs ever sold:

NFTs Selling Price
The Merge $91.8 million
The First 5000 days $69 million
Human One $29.98 million
CryptoPunk #7523 $11.75 million
CryptoPunk #3100 $7.58 million
Xcopy: Right-Click and Save As Guy $7.09 million
Art Blocks, Ringers #109 $6.93 million
Crossroad $6.6 million
This Changed Everything $5.4 million
Save Thousands of Lives $4.5 million

Check our detailed post on the most expensive NFTs ever sold.

14.) The Most Valuable NFT Meme Was Sold For $4 Million

One of the most well-known memes is Doge, which depicts a Japanese breed of dog, the Shiba Inu. It’s also the most expensive NFT meme, with a sale on Zora in June 2021 fetching over $4 million. The new owner of the NFT stated in September 2021 that the meme NFT would be divided into 17 billion parts. Only 20% of the new tokens dubbed as $DOG will be auctioned off initially.

Source: CNBC News

Memes turned into NFTs sell with high value. Here is a table showing the most expensive Meme NFTs to date:

NFT Selling Price
Doge $4,000,000
Nyan Cat $600,000
Disaster Girl $500,000
Overly Attached Girlfriend $411,000
Grumpy Cat $83,000
Leave Britney Alone $44,000
Bad Luck Brian $36,000
Success Kid $35,000

15.) People With Annual Incomes Of Less Than $25k Invested In NFTs At A Similar Caliber As Those With Annual Incomes Of Greater Than $150k

Buying NFTs is a hobby shared by both low- and high-income people. However, individuals in the middle-income range ($25,000-$150,000/pa) tend to be less enthusiastic, with 95% reporting no enthusiasm for NFTs.

Source: CivicScience

16.) In 2021, NFT Art Sales Reached About 1.5 Million Per Month

Roughly 1,540,000 NFT art sales were made between October 15 and November 15. It totaled 11 million by the end of 2022.

Source: Economic Times

17.) The NFT Art Segment Recorded Sales Of $140.67 Billion

Out of the $140.67 billion, $8.956 billion came from primary sales, and $131.721 billion came from secondary sales.

Here is a table showing the sales in the NFT art segment in 2023:

Time Primary Sales Secondary Sales
Jan 15, 2023 1,663 15,505
Feb 15, 2023 1,910 17,009
Mar 15, 2023 1,812 18,929
Apr 15, 2023 1,139 15,737
May 15, 2023 668 12,963
Jun 15, 2023 398 15,587
Jul 15, 2023 526 13,494
Aug 15, 2023 522 11,706
Sep 15, 2023 318 10,791

Source: Statista

18.) In-game NFTs Are The Most Popular Category In NFTs

The popularity of in-game NFTs has been growing rapidly in recent years. In 2022, the global market for in-game NFTs was valued at $3.64 billion, and it is expected to reach $15.46 billion by 2027.

Source: Analytics Insights

19.) It Is Estimated That There Are Approximately 370,000+ NFT Owners

There are over 370,000 NFT owners who collectively possess around $2.9 million worth of NFTs. However, around 9% of the overall owners are responsible for around 80% of the share

This suggests that the bulk of the value in NFTs is held by a few whales who are now owning the most expensive NFTs. This is analogous to the hundreds of millions of dollars in bitcoin assets held by numerous whales.

Source: NonFungible

20.) NFTs Capture The Interest Of More Than A Third Of Gaming Enthusiasts

Over a third of eSports enthusiasts are interested in acquiring NFTs. Around 20% of the 2,200 people who took part in the poll stated they were highly interested in buying NFTs as an asset or a pastime. Another 35% of respondents said that they were moderately interested.

The same study found a substantial difference in the number of NFTs collected by men and women. According to the data, roughly 15% of male respondents had already collected NFTs, whereas just 4% of female respondents had done so.

Source: Morning Consult

21.) A Typical NFT Has A Similar Ecological Footprint As A Month’s Worth Of Power Used By An EU Person

The amount of energy consumed to mint, maintain, and transfer titles of an NFT is costly to nature. A typical NFT transaction emits nearly 50 kgs of Carbon dioxide.

Source: CBS

22.) The Electricity Usage Of Ethereum Is Similar To That Of Qatar And Hungary

Ethereum presently uses 44.94 terawatt-hours of electricity, comparable to the annual usage of many countries. It also emits around 21.35 metric tonnes of CO2 each year, comparable to Sudan’s carbon footprint.

Source: CBS

23.) Cryptocurrencies Like Polygon Emit Less Than 1% Of The Carbon Dioxide That Ethereum Does

The Ethereum network is used for the majority of NFTs; the coin used an estimated 104 Terawatt – hours per year by the end of 2021. Proof of stake technology, such as MATIC, on the other hand, utilizes just about 0.00006 Terawatt hours per year.

Sage Read: To gain insights into the market capitalization and trading volume of cryptocurrencies, explore our post on Cryptocurrency Statistics.

Source: Digiconomist

24.) Ethereum 2.0 Technology Has The Potential To Cut Energy Consumption By More Than 99%

If Ethereum is successful in transitioning from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake technology, it might lower its blockchain’s energy usage by 99.95%. The changeover took place on 15th September 2022.

Source: Investopedia

25.) Jack Dorsey, Founder And ex-CEO Of Twitter, Sold His First-ever Tweet In NFT Format For $2.9 Million

Mr. Dorsey dubbed the tweet the “Mona Lisa of Tweets” and was able to fetch such a high amount because of expectations that the NFT’s value will rise in the future. The tweet stated, “just setting up my twttr,” with the price per character set at $100,000.

Source: Coindesk

26.) Grimes Sold NFTs For More Than $7 Million

Grimes created one of the best-selling NFT collections to date. She sold hundreds of copies of her record in NFT format for more than $7,500 apiece, as well as a one-of-a-kind film called “Death of the Old” for more than $389,000.

Source: Tone Deaf

27.) More Than $21.6 Million Was Paid For NBA Star LeBron James NFT

On the NFT marketplace, a statue of NBA player LeBron James sold for more than $21.6 million. The sale is thought to have benefited LeBron directly.

Source: Sportco.io

28.) Eminem’s First NFT Collection Fetched $1.78 Million At Auction

As per the Nifty Gateway figures, “Rap God” Eminem sold his Shady Con NFT collection for $1,78 million. Digital action figures that impacted the American rapper throughout his boyhood were featured in the collection.

Source: Tone Deaf

29.) Music Album NFT Fetched $2 Million

Kings of Leon, an American rock band, released their latest album ‘When You See Yourself’, as an NFT, making them the first band to do so. Additionally, as part of their “NFT Yourself” series, the band supplied three different varieties of NFTs. They also issued rewards for their live events, as well as exclusive visual art, as two additional sorts of tokens in addition to the exclusive record bundle.

Through the NFT sales, the band was able to earn more than $2 million. Now, more music artists are releasing their work in the form of NFTs.

Source: Coin Telegraph

30.) Taco Bell Released 25 NFTs In 2021

Fast-food restaurants can also sell NFTs if rock bands can. Taco Bell became the first fast-food chain to offer NFT. “NFTacoBells” was a collection of 25 digital art pieces that sold in less than 30 minutes on Rarible. More than $3,500 was paid for the artwork that garnered the highest price. Taco Bell’s Live Mass scholarship received 100% of the proceeds.

Source: The Verge

31.) Thailand Is The Country With Most NFT Users

Thailand is home to 5.65 million NFT users in the world. Brazil and the United States stand in the second and third spots with 4.99 million and 3.81 million users, respectively.

Countries With The Most Number Of NFT UsersCountries With The Most Number Of NFT Users

Below is the table showing the top 10 countries with the largest number of NFT users:

Country Number Of NFT Users
Thailand 5.65 million
Brazil 4.99 million
United States 3.81 million
China 2.68 million
Vietnam 2.19 million
India 1.50 million
Canada 1.40 million
Indonesia 1.25 million
Germany 1.23 million
South Africa 1.23 million

Source: Statista

32.) 1 Ethereum Transaction Consumes About 238.22 Kilowatt Hours Of Energy

1 Ethereum transaction consumes about 238.22 kilowatt hours of energy, while 100,000 VISA transactions consume about 148.63 kilowatt hours of energy. Although Ethereum’s energy consumption is lower than that of BTC, it is still very high. It will take a while until ETH is economical in terms of power consumption.

Source: Statista

33.) Men Are 2 Times More Likely To Collect Physical Items Than Women

Morning Consult conducted a survey of US adults, which revealed that 45% of men collect physical items as an investment or hobby. Only 22% of women said they collected physical items.

Source: Morning Consult

34.) Reasons Why Consumers Buy NFT In The United States By Gender

There are several reasons why Americans invest in NFTs; while both genders often noted a return on investment, women were mostly invested in NFTs because of their popularity.

Here is a table showing why Americans invest in NFTs (By gender):

Reason To Buy NFT Male Respondents Female Respondents
Return on investment 39% 40%
I am an art fan 39% 28%
Because family and friends are buying them 34% 22%
Early Adoption 33% 18%
It is trendy and currently popular 30% 36%
Bragging Rights 21% 7%
Others 0% 1%

Source: Statista

35.) The Philippines Is The Country With The Highest NFT Adoption Rate

According to Statista, individuals in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany were substantially less likely to own or purchase NFTs in 2022 than people in other countries. 

Analyzing the results of multiple Google Surveys conducted worldwide in 2022 shows that NFTs are highly popular among people in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Here is a table showing the countries with the highest NFT adoption rate:

Country Share Of Adults Who Own An NFT
Philippines 32%
Thailand 26.6%
Malaysia 23.9%
UAE 23.4%
Vietnam 17.4%
Nigeria 13.7%
Brazil 12.1%
Hong Kong SAR 10.7%
Venezuela 10.6%
Peru 9.9%
Colombia 8.4%
South Africa 8.3%
Argentina 7.4%
Singapore 6.8%
Canada 5.6%
Australia 4.6%
Germany 4%
United States 2.8%
United Kingdom 2.5%
Japan 2.2%

Source: Statista

Conclusion: The NFT Market Is Likely To Decline By 11%

NFTs have rapidly transitioned from niche blockchain experiments to mainstream digital assets spanning art, gaming, and identity. While over half of all NFT sales remain under $200, top sellers like The Merge and CryptoPunks command multimillion-dollar prices.

The global user base, high daily wallet activity, and diverse marketplace ecosystems confirm NFTs are not fading; they’re adapting. The sector’s resilience is evident from economic inclusivity across income groups to regional enthusiasm in Asia.

As technological infrastructure advances and use cases diversify, NFT growth in 2025 and beyond will be shaped by value-driven adoption, broader accessibility, and a shift from novelty to utility.