Block height
Block height is the number of blocks that came before a block in the Bitcoin chain, so the genesis block is block 0.
As of 15 Oct 2026, 23:05 UTC, the newest block is block 971,630.
A block's place in the chain: how many blocks came before it. The first block, the genesis block, is block 0.
Is block height the same as a block's ID?
Not quite. The ID is the block's hash, which never changes. Height is its place in the chain. For the newest few blocks two competing blocks can briefly share a height, until one branch grows longer and the other is dropped.
Why does block height matter?
Bitcoin's schedule is written in heights, not dates. The reward halves every 210,000 blocks and the difficulty adjusts every 2,016. Since block 227,931 every block also states its own height in its coinbase transaction.
Sources
Updated 10 Oct 2026
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