More than 3 million adults across the Baltics and Nordics own cryptocurrency today. The new figures from the Baltic Crypto Adoption Survey reveal clear differences.
Despite market volatility, crypto ownership is well established across Northern Europe – and the figures reveal clear structural differences between the regions in gender balance, age profile and capital allocation.
"We see broadly similar adoption levels across the Baltics and Nordics, but with very distinct market structures. The Nordics allocate more capital, while the Baltics stand out for stronger gender balance and higher future demand."– Vetle Lunde, Senior Analyst, K33 Research
The two regions have surprisingly similar adoption rates – 10.6 percent in the Baltics versus 11.1 percent in the Nordics – but the composition of crypto owners differs significantly.
Gender balance is the most striking difference. In the Baltics, 32.8 percent of all crypto owners are women, compared with 23 percent in the Nordics. Latvia stands in a class of its own: 41 percent of Latvian crypto owners are women, making it the most gender-balanced crypto market in the entire survey.
In terms of age, crypto ownership skews younger in the Baltics, while the Nordics show higher participation among adults aged 40–49 (15.2 percent versus 11.7 percent in the Baltics), suggesting a more mature investor base in the north.
While adoption rates are comparable, the gap in capital allocation is significant. Estimated total crypto wealth is USD 25.8 billion in the Nordics versus USD 2.36 billion in the Baltics – equivalent to USD 1,130 per capita in the Nordics versus USD 460 in the Baltics.
When it comes to future expectations, the picture reverses. 30 percent of Baltic adults expect to own crypto within the next ten years, compared with 24 percent in the Nordics. Latvia and Sweden are the only countries where expected future crypto ownership has increased year over year.
"Taken together, the Baltic and Nordic markets show how crypto adoption can follow different paths. From Latvia's exceptional female participation to Sweden's rapid growth, the region illustrates a maturing and diversified crypto landscape."– Magnus Jones, Nordic Blockchain Association
Across both the Baltics and Nordics, more than 80 percent of current crypto owners plan to buy more in the future. Reinvestment intent is strongest in Latvia, followed closely by Lithuania and Sweden.
Overall, the data points to two complementary markets: the Nordics are characterised by higher capital allocation and deeper integration with traditional finance, while the Baltics stand out for strong youth engagement, better gender balance and greater long-term optimism. Both regions show that crypto ownership is no longer a niche phenomenon, but an increasingly embedded part of household financial behaviour.
This report is part of a wider Baltic study also covering Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia individually. Baltic Crypto Adoption Week is a collaboration between K33, Firi, Nordic Blockchain Association and Kaupr, in partnership with the Latvian Blockchain Association (LBAA), Estonian Web3 Chamber (EW3), UN:BLOCK, CoinsPaid, Kraken, Brava Finance and Kvarn X. All three country reports are released on Thursday 9 April and can be downloaded at kaupr.io/baltic-crypto-adoption.
