What was Litecoin's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2021?

Litecoin's CAGR from 2021 to September 2026 was -10.1% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. However, this came with substantially higher volatility and drawdown risk.

How does Litecoin compare to the S&P 500 since 2021?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2021 would be worth approximately $2,218.04 today. Litecoin underperformed the S&P 500 by $1,675.51.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Litecoin since 2021?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2021, the real purchasing-power value of the Litecoin position is approximately $450.84 in 2021 dollars. After inflation, the investment has lost purchasing power compared with the original amount.

How did Litecoin perform in 2021?

Litecoin rose 18% during 2021, from $124.67 at the start of the year to $146.54 at the start of 2022.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Litecoin in 2021?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$542.54

−$457.46 loss0.54x-10.1% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,218

No tax on a loss. Selling can offset tax on other gains.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$542.54

Total Loss

−$457.46

Multiplier

0.54x

CAGR

-10.1%

Max Drawdown

-84.6%

Inflation-Adjusted

$450.84

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2021 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Litecoin	$542.54	0.54x
S&P 500	$2,218.04	2.22x
Gold	$2,213.49	2.21x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,120.46	1.12x

Back in 2021

In September 2021, a fake press release claimed Walmart would accept Litecoin; Walmart confirmed the announcement was false. coindesk.com
In 2021, a gallon of gas averaged $3.01 and the new iPhone 13 Pro started at $999. eia.gov apple.com
During 2021 itself, Litecoin rose 18%, #74 of the 111 investments we track. The best was Solana (+11,084%); the worst was Zoom (−49%). Full 2021 results →

$1,000 in Litecoin, year by year

Of the 111 investments we track that were available at the start of 2021, Litecoin ranks #98 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind Comcast and ahead of Alibaba. See the full 2021 ranking →

Litecoin started 2021 46% below its start-of-2018 high, after rising 202% in 2020. It's worth less than the $1,000 put in today; the last January it was above that was 2022. Its best January was 2022, at $1,175. Today it's 54% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 3 of the 5 full years since. It has trailed the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at every January since, and still does. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Apr 2021 ($2,187) to Jun 2026 ($337.82), a drop of 85%. At its lowest month-end, in Jun 2026, it was worth $337.82.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2021	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2022	$1,175	+18%	$1,287
Start of 2023	$562	−52%	$1,054
Start of 2024	$585	+4.2%	$1,331
Start of 2025	$827	+41%	$1,664
Start of 2026	$616	−26%	$1,962
Today	$543	−12%	$2,218

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2021, Litecoin was priced at $124.67. $1,000 would have bought about 8.02 LTC. Litecoin launched in 2011 as a faster, lighter version of Bitcoin.

Measured from one January to the next, Litecoin's best year since then was 2024 (+41%) and its worst was 2022 (−52%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2022 and the start of 2023, the position fell 52% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Litecoin at the start of 2021 would be worth approximately $542.54 today — a 0.54x return ($457.46 loss) over 5.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the January 1 opening price, from CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap and Yahoo Finance historical data. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance (CoinGecko as a backup) and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2021 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2021 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.