The daily number of active validators on the Solana blockchain has fallen to 800, the lowest since 2021, according to data from The Block Research.
In comparison, the peak in 2023 exceeded 2,500, marking a decline of about 65% from those levels.
Alongside the drop in validators, the number of voting transactions has also decreased, from 300,000 to 170,000 per day.
The reasons for the departure of validators are tied to economic factors within the network. This includes the Solana Foundation's delegation program, which offers limited-time support to cover voting costs and a stake matching policy.
As support diminishes, smaller validators find it increasingly difficult to cover their voting and infrastructure costs without sufficient delegated stake.
To remain synchronized with the network, validators must lock up assets. If there isn't enough staked SOL to generate income, running a node becomes economically unfeasible.
Despite the decline in voting transactions, regular operations on Solana remain relatively stable at around 150 million per day.
As a reminder, in December 2025, the Solana Foundation partnered with Project Eleven to prepare the network for potential threats from quantum computers.