Short answer: Monero’s main emission ended in mid-2022. Since then, the network mints a perpetual tail emission of 0.6 XMR per block.
With a target 2-minute block time (~262,800 blocks/year), that’s about 157,680 XMR issued annually—forever. At the start of tail emission, the circulating supply was ~18,132,000 XMR.
Assumptions for the Table
- Starting point: June 2022 supply ≈ 18,132,000 XMR.
- Issuance: Fixed tail emission of 0.6 XMR/block → ~157,680 XMR/year.
- Timing: Calendar “milestone year” ≈ the same month/day in that year (rounded, real totals vary slightly with block timing).
Projected Monero Supply by Calendar Year
The table lists the approximate total XMR at key calendar years counted from the start of tail emission (June 2022).
| Calendar Year | Years After Tail Start | New XMR Since 2022 | Approx. Total XMR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 5 | 788,400 | 18,920,400 |
| 2032 | 10 | 1,576,800 | 19,708,800 |
| 2042 | 20 | 3,153,600 | 21,285,600 |
| 2052 | 30 | 4,730,400 | 22,862,400 |
| 2072 | 50 | 7,884,000 | 26,016,000 |
| 2122 | 100 | 15,768,000 | 33,900,000 |
| 2222 | 200 | 31,536,000 | 49,668,000 |
| 2522 | 500 | 78,840,000 | 96,972,000 |
Why Monero Uses Tail Emission
- Network security: Ensures miners are always rewarded, reducing reliance on fees alone.
- Predictability: Annual issuance is constant in XMR terms, so inflation rate declines over time.
- Usability: Helps avoid fee spikes and under-incentivized security in the far future.
Key Parameters Recap
- Tail emission: 0.6 XMR per block (permanent)
- Block target: 2 minutes (~262,800 blocks/year)
- Annual issuance: ~157,680 XMR
- Tail start supply: ~18,132,000 XMR (June 2022)
Bottom line: Monero’s supply grows by about 157,680 XMR per year from a base near 18.132 million in 2022, with percentage inflation shrinking every year—providing a long-term, sustainable monetary policy.
Is Monero's Supply Fixed?
No — and that's by design. Monero's main emission delivered about 18.132 million XMR, after which tail emission took over at a fixed 0.6 XMR per block (roughly every two minutes). That adds a small, predictable amount forever, so the supply keeps growing slowly rather than stopping dead. The result is a disinflationary currency: new issuance shrinks as a percentage of the total every year, trending toward zero without ever quite reaching it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why not a hard cap like Bitcoin? A hard cap eventually leaves miners paid only by fees, which can weaken security. Tail emission guarantees a permanent block reward so the network stays secured indefinitely.
Does tail emission cause inflation? Technically yes, but a tiny and shrinking amount — well under 1% a year and falling — which is why Monero is called disinflationary.
Can the supply ever be counted exactly? The issuance schedule is public and precise, even though individual balances are private.
How to Check the Current Supply Yourself
You don't have to take anyone's word for it. A Monero block explorer or your own node reports the total amount emitted so far, and because tail emission adds a steady 0.6 XMR per block (about every two minutes), you can project the supply for any future date. The issuance schedule is fully public and deterministic — one of the few things about Monero that is completely transparent, even though individual balances are private.
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