Ethereum L1 Blockchain Achieves 2.2 Million Transactions Per Day At 17 Cents

TLDR

Table of Contents

Ethereum recorded 2.2 million transactions in a single day this week.
Average transaction fees on Ethereum dropped to just 17 cents.
Pectra and Fusaka upgrades increased efficiency and lowered fees.
New smart contracts reached 8.7 million in Q4 2025 on Ethereum.

Ethereum’s mainnet has recorded 2.2 million transactions in a single day this week, marking a new high in network activity. At the same time, transaction fees have dropped to an average of just 17 cents. This milestone reflects both growing adoption of Ethereum’s layer-1 blockchain and the effects of network upgrades that have improved efficiency and lowered costs for users.

Record Daily Transactions

The Ethereum network reached the 2.2 million daily transaction mark on Tuesday, according to data from Etherscan. This represents a substantial increase in activity compared to previous months.

High transaction fees in the past had driven users toward layer-2 solutions and alternative networks. In May 2022, users paid more than $200 per transaction on average. Since then, fees have fallen steadily due to network improvements and protocol upgrades.

Ethereum just processed 2,230,801 transactions in a single day, the highest in its 10-year history.
Fees were under $0.01.
Finality stayed stable.
No congestion. No drama.
After years of scaling work, usage is moving back to L1.
Performance brings users home.
The ticker is… pic.twitter.com/GntopK51ab
— BMNR Bullz (@BMNRBullz) December 31, 2025

Data shows that on October 10, during a market-wide liquidation event, the average fee was around $8.48. Fees have continued to decrease in the following months, making Ethereum transactions more accessible for everyday users.

Network Upgrades Drive Efficiency

Two major Ethereum upgrades in 2025 appear to have contributed to higher transactions and lower fees. The Pectra upgrade focused on validator improvements, staking flexibility, and preparing the network for future scalability.

Fusaka increased the block gas limit from 45 million to 60 million, boosting network capacity. This upgrade aimed to improve data handling and overall network efficiency, allowing more transactions per block without overloading the system.

Smart Contract Activity

Ethereum continues to attract developers, with new smart contract deployment on the rise. Data from Token Terminal shows that 8.7 million new smart contracts were created in the fourth quarter of 2025.

This increase in activity reflects Ethereum’s role as a settlement layer for decentralized applications and other blockchain projects. Developers and users appear to return to the layer-1 blockchain due to lower fees and enhanced capacity.

Staking and Network Confidence

Ethereum’s staking activity has also changed this week. The staking queue flipped the exit line for the first time in six months. Almost twice as much ETH is now queued to be staked compared to ETH waiting to exit the network.

Staking is generally seen as a commitment to hold ETH long-term, while unstaking can indicate readiness to sell. This shift suggests growing confidence among validators to lock in Ether, contributing to network security and stability.

Ethereum’s L1 transaction milestone demonstrates continued growth in network usage and efficiency. With fees averaging 17 cents, the blockchain is more accessible for both everyday users and developers.