Lost bitcoins are coins to which access has been lost, for example, due to loss of private keys, damage to data storage devices, or the death of owners without passing on access information. Finding or recovering such bitcoins is extremely difficult because the blockchain is decentralized and does not provide a recovery mechanism.
However, there are ways to determine the scale of such losses:
1. Analysis of inactive addresses:
Addresses where bitcoins have not moved for many years are considered likely candidates for 'lost'.
Such data can be obtained through blockchain explorers (e.g., Blockchain.com or Blockchair).
2. Assessment of UTXO (Unspent Transaction Outputs):
UTXOs that have remained unspent for 7-10 years or more may indicate lost funds.
Glassnode and CoinMetrics provide such data.
3. Traces of old mining wallets:
Bitcoins mined in the early years (e.g., 2009-2010) are most often inactive.
Researchers often study 'whales' (e.g., early wallets of Satoshi Nakamoto).
4. Special blockchain analysis tools:
Platforms like Chainalysis can help analyze the movement of funds and identify long-term inactivity.
Is it possible to regain access to lost bitcoins?
If the private key is lost, the chances are extremely low. The whole point of blockchain security is that no one can regain access without the key.
To attempt recovery, it is worth trying data recovery tools from devices where the key was stored or consulting digital forensics experts.
If the keys were written on paper, use professional recovery methods (e.g., UV light for faded text).
