TechFlow reported on June 14 that, according to data from Galaxy Research, the Bitcoin network has completed its latest mining difficulty adjustment at block height 953,568. The adjustment came after BTC had fallen by about 15% since the start of June, a move that compressed miner profit margins and was followed by a decline in total network hashrate.
Difficulty Falls From 138.96 T to 124.93 T
Bitcoin’s mining difficulty was reduced from 138.96 T to 124.93 T in this adjustment, representing a decline of 10.09%. Based on Galaxy Research’s figures, the move ranks as the 11th-largest downward difficulty adjustment in Bitcoin’s history. It is also the second-largest single difficulty drop recorded since the beginning of 2026.
Galaxy Research said BTC’s roughly 15% decline since June has significantly narrowed miner profitability. Under those conditions, some high-cost miners shut down equipment or temporarily exited the network. That reduction in active mining participation contributed to the drop in Bitcoin’s overall hashrate.
The Adjustment Cycle Took About 15.6 Days
The hashrate decline also affected the length of the current difficulty adjustment cycle. This round took about 15.6 days to complete, which is notably longer than Bitcoin’s target rhythm of completing a difficulty adjustment roughly every 14 days. The difficulty mechanism responds to changes in total network hashrate, reducing the competitive threshold for block production after hashrate falls.
A lower mining difficulty reduces the level of competition faced by miners that remain online when they compete for block rewards, helping improve their revenue conditions. Historically, large difficulty adjustments have tended to occur during periods of sharp market volatility or significant deterioration in miner profitability. For that reason, such adjustments are also regarded as one of the indicators used to observe miner operating conditions and the health of the Bitcoin network.