Cardano Leads With Nakamoto Coefficient Near 80, Outpacing All Major Blockchains

Fresh data from the Edinburgh Decentralisation Index reveals Cardano sitting at the top of the decentralization rankings among major blockchain networks. The measurement? The Nakamoto Coefficient—a metric that shows just how spread out control really is across a network.

Cardano’s coefficient has climbed steadily since 2021 and now hovers close to 80, leaving Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others trailing far behind in the single digits. That’s a significant gap.

The Nakamoto Coefficient answers a straightforward question: how many independent players would need to team up to take control of the network? The higher the number, the harder it is for any group to dominate. Cardano’s rise suggests its validator structure has grown more distributed over time, while competitors like Bitcoin and Ethereum have stayed relatively flat between 2 and 10.

“Cardano’s sustained increase suggests a broader and more distributed validator structure relative to its peers, reinforcing its position in discussions around decentralization standards.”

Other tracked networks—Bitcoin Cash, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Tezos, Zcash—show similar patterns: stable but low coefficients with little upward movement. None come close to matching Cardano’s trajectory.

Why does this matter? Decentralization isn’t just a talking point. It directly affects how resilient a blockchain is to attacks, how secure transactions remain, and how governance decisions get made. As regulators and institutions pay closer attention to infrastructure risks, metrics like this offer a clear picture of which networks are genuinely distributed and which ones just talk a good game.

My Take: Cardano’s Nakamoto Coefficient reaching 80 while others struggle past 10 isn’t just impressive—it’s rare. It shows real structural differences, not marketing spin. If decentralization is the goal, Cardano’s doing the work.

Source: TapTools