The number of unconfirmed Bitcoin transactions directly impacts network congestion and price. When unconfirmed transactions rise, as seen with over 390,000 in May 2023, the mempool—a waiting area for transactions—becomes bottlenecked. Miners prioritize higher-fee transactions, delaying those with lower fees and increasing congestion. This slows confirmation times, sometimes to hours or days, frustrating users and raising transaction costs. Historically, severe congestion, like 560,000 unconfirmed transactions in September 2023, has raised concerns about usability and driven price volatility, with Bitcoin dropping 3.5% to $27,946 during one such event. High fees deter smaller transactions, potentially reducing demand and pressuring prices downward. Solutions like SegWit and the Lightning Network aim to ease congestion, but persistent backlogs highlight scalability challenges that continue to influence Bitcoin’s network efficiency and market value.