Cornell University’s Bitcoin Adoption Index found that about 90% of adults surveyed across 25 countries recognized Bitcoin, but only 13% knew its supply is capped and just over 10% said they understood the cryptocurrency. The online survey, conducted from December 2024 to March 2025 with Human Rights Foundation support and developed with the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy’s Institute for Technology Policy, found ownership highest in El Salvador, Venezuela and Nigeria, where unstable currencies, inflation, limited banking access or difficulty obtaining U.S. dollars made respondents more likely to view Bitcoin as a financial tool rather than pure speculation. El Salvador led, with 72% saying they had owned Bitcoin at some point, while U.S. ownership was 24% and Japan recorded 7% current ownership; Japan also had the highest share of respondents describing Bitcoin as difficult to understand. Only 6% of Americans correctly identified the 21-million-coin limit, and former owners outnumbered current owners in 18 of 25 countries. Researchers cautioned that past ownership does not equal current payment use, and presented the index at the Oslo Freedom Forum as an ongoing measure of country-level adoption distinct from price narratives.