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WordPress powers 42.6% of all websites in March 2026, making it the most widely used content management system in the world. What started as a basic blogging tool in 2003 now serves as the backbone for everything from personal blogs to enterprise platforms used by some of the biggest brands on the planet.
These WordPress statistics cover the full picture: market share, growth trends, themes, plugins, eCommerce, security, and more. Whether you’re evaluating WordPress for a new project or just curious about where the platform stands today, the data tells a compelling story.
Quick Facts: WordPress Statistics in March 2026
- WordPress powers 42.6% of all websites globally.
- Data indicates up to 605 million websites run on WordPress.
- WordPress holds a 59.9% share of the CMS market.
- There are over 30,000 WordPress themes available.
- More than 61,000 free plugins in the WordPress.org directory.
- WooCommerce holds a 33.43% share of the eCommerce market.
- WordPress has been translated into 208 languages and locales.
- There have been 53 major WordPress releases since 2003.
- The top 10 countries account for over 30 million WordPress sites.
- WordPress sites face a security attack on average every 32 minutes.
Table of contents
What Percentage of Websites Use WordPress?
As of March 2026, 42.6% of all websites globally use WordPress, according to W3Techs.
This figure represents WordPress’s share across the entire web, including websites that don’t use any content management system. W3Techs tracks technology usage across what it defines as “the relevant web,” focusing on sites with useful content and real traffic rather than parked domains or empty pages.
To put that 42.6% in perspective: the next closest platform is Shopify at 5.1%, followed by Wix at 4.2%. WordPress has roughly nine times the market share of its nearest competitor.
Source: W3Techs
How Many Websites Use WordPress?
Depending on the data source, WordPress powers anywhere from 37.5 million active business sites to an estimated 605 million total web properties.
The upper estimate is based on NetCraft’s February 2026 web survey, which counted a total of 1.42 billion hostnames across the internet. Applying WordPress’s 42.6% market share (as reported by W3Techs), we arrive at roughly 605 million sites.
However, the exact number depends heavily on how you define a “website.” NetCraft counts all hostnames, including parked domains, staging sites, and domains with no active content. When looking strictly at active, functioning websites, the numbers are more specific. BuiltWith, which tracks technology usage across actively visited web properties, currently lists the number of live WordPress sites at roughly 37.5 million.
The real number of functioning WordPress websites likely falls somewhere between this 37.5 million baseline of active sites and the theoretical maximum of 605 million. Regardless of which metric you prefer, the conclusion is the same: WordPress runs on more websites than any other platform by a wide margin, and usage trends indicate that number continues to climb.
Sources: NetCraft, BuiltWith, W3Techs
What Is the WordPress Market Share?
Among websites that use a known content management system, WordPress holds a 59.9% market share, more than all other CMS platforms combined.
That dominance becomes even clearer when you compare it directly to the competition:
| CMS | Share of All Websites | Share of CMS Market |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 42.6% | 59.9% |
| Shopify | 5.1% | 7.2% |
| Wix | 4.2% | 6% |
| Squarespace | 2.5% | 3.5% |
| Joomla | 1.3% | 1.8% |
| Webflow | 0.9% | 1.2% |
| Tilda | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| Drupal | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| No CMS | 28.8% | — |
These numbers are corroborated by independent data. The HTTP Archive’s 2025 Web Almanac, which uses a completely different measurement methodology than W3Techs, found that CMS-driven sites now account for over 54% of all observed websites, with WordPress powering 64.3% of those CMS-driven sites on mobile. The difference comes down to how each source defines and samples websites, but both confirm the same conclusion: WordPress holds a commanding lead.
It’s also worth noting that 28.6% of websites still operate without a recognized CMS, either hand-coded or using custom solutions. But among the sites that do choose a CMS, WordPress’s lead is overwhelming. Shopify, its nearest rival in the CMS-only comparison, holds just 7.1%, less than one-eighth of WordPress’s share.
One stat that underscores WordPress’s enterprise reach: among the top 10,000 websites by traffic, WordPress accounts for roughly 58% of CMS usage. Platforms like Wix and Shopify are almost absent at this traffic level, while Drupal, with just 1% overall market share, holds 6-7% among the top 10,000, reflecting its strength with large institutional sites.
WordPress Market Share: Year-by-Year Growth
WordPress has more than doubled its market share over the past decade, growing from 21% of all websites in 2014 to 42.6% in March 2026.
Here’s the full progression:
| Year | WordPress % of All Websites |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 13.1% |
| 2012 | 15.8% |
| 2013 | 17.4% |
| 2014 | 21.0% |
| 2015 | 23.3% |
| 2016 | 25.6% |
| 2017 | 27.3% |
| 2018 | 29.2% |
| 2019 | 32.7% |
| 2020 | 35.4% |
| 2021 | 39.5% |
| 2022 | 43.2% |
| 2023 | 43.1% |
| 2024 | 43.5% |
| 2025 | 43.4% |
| 2026 | 42.6% |
Source: W3Techs Historical Overview. Numbers reflect January 1 of each year except 2026 (March 1).
A few things stand out from this data. WordPress grew at a pace of 2-4 percentage points per year between 2011 and 2022, crossing the 40% threshold in 2021. That same year marked another milestone: WordPress became more common than “no CMS”, the first time a single platform was used on more websites than the combined total of sites built without any CMS at all. Before 2021, hand-coding was still more common than any individual CMS. WordPress changed that.
Growth has leveled off since 2022, with the market share hovering between 42.6% and 43.5%. The slight dip to 42.6% in early 2026 is the first meaningful decline, though it remains a fraction of a percentage point. The HTTP Archive’s 2025 Web Almanac describes this as WordPress shifting “from a focus on expansion to one on stabilization” — a sign of market saturation rather than competitive displacement.
Meanwhile, the competitive landscape has shifted. Shopify grew from 0.1% in 2014 to 5.1% today. Wix went from 0.1% to 4.2%. Squarespace followed a similar path to 2.5%. On the other side, Joomla and Drupal, the two CMS platforms most similar to WordPress, roughly halved their market share during the same period.
There’s also been a steady decrease in websites operating without any CMS at all, dropping from 68.2% in January 2013 to 28.6% in March 2026. The web has moved decisively toward content management systems, and WordPress has captured the lion’s share of that transition.
WordPress Usage by Country
The United States leads WordPress adoption with over 18.7 million WordPress websites, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom.
| Rank | Country | WordPress Sites |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | ~16,500,000 |
| 2 | Germany | ~1,900,000 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | ~1,400,000 |
| 4 | Brazil | ~1,000,000 |
| 5 | France | ~1,000,000 |
| 6 | Italy | ~950,000 |
| 7 | Netherlands | ~900,000 |
| 8 | India | ~760,000 |
| 9 | Spain | ~720,000 |
| 10 | Russia | ~720,000 |
Source: BuiltWith. Figures for ranks 6-10 are approximate.
Japan is a particularly strong WordPress market. According to the State of the Word 2024, WordPress powers 58.5% of all Japanese websites and holds an 83% CMS market share in the country, significantly higher than the global average.
Google Trends data shows the highest relative search interest in WordPress from Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Kenya, indicating growing adoption in emerging markets.
WordPress has been translated into 208 languages and locales, and non-English installations now outnumber English ones. This global reach is one of the key factors behind WordPress’s continued growth.
Sources: BuiltWith, State of the Word 2024, WordPress.org Translations
WordPress Version & Technical Statistics
WordPress has had 53 major releases and over 760 total releases since version 1.0 launched in 2003. Each major release is named after a jazz musician, starting with version 1.0 “Miles” (after Miles Davis).
Here’s how version adoption currently breaks down:
- Roughly 88% of WordPress sites run version 6.x
- About 8.6% still run version 5.x
- Approximately 3.2% run version 4.x or older
- Only 0.3% remain on version 3.x
The relatively high adoption of version 6 reflects the WordPress community’s responsiveness to updates. However, the fact that about 12% of sites still run version 5 or earlier, some of which no longer receive security patches, remains a concern for the ecosystem’s overall health.
WordPress Page Builder Usage
Approximately 59.9% of WordPress sites use a page builder. The breakdown among WordPress sites using a builder:
- Elementor — 43% of builder usage (down from 56% in 2024)
- WordPress Block Editor — 18% (growing, up from prior years)
- WPBakery — 13% (declining from 21% in 2024)
- Divi — 10% (declining from 14% in 2024)
- Beaver Builder — ~2% (stable)
The trend is clear: the WordPress ecosystem is gradually shifting from third-party page builders toward the native Block Editor, while Elementor remains the most widely used overall. Older builders like WPBakery and Divi are losing share as newer, block-native approaches gain adoption.
Sources: WordPress.org Stats, WordPress Release Archive, HTTP Archive’s 2025 Web Almanac
How Many WordPress Themes Are There?
As of March 2026, the WordPress.org theme directory contains nearly 14,000 free themes. ThemeForest, the largest third-party marketplace for WordPress themes, adds another 12,000+ paid options.
Together, these two sources account for over 26,000 themes. But that’s only the beginning; countless free and premium themes are available through independent theme shops like WPZOOM and others, significantly expanding the total selection. A conservative estimate puts the overall number of WordPress themes well above 30,000.
What Are the Most Popular WordPress Themes?
A deep dive into data from BuiltWith.com, focusing on the top 1 million websites, reveals the leading themes:
- Hello Elementor — 22,658 websites (12.9% share)
- Astra — 14,480 websites (7.73% share)
- GeneratePress — 11,675 websites (6.23% share)
- Divi — 11,366 websites (6.07% share)
- Flatsome — 5,643 websites (3.01% share)
On the Envato Market, the best-selling themes of all time are:
- Avada — 1.054M sales
- The7 — 333K sales
- BeTheme — 332K sales
- Enfold — 269K sales
- Flatsome — 265K sales
These numbers reflect the clear trend toward multipurpose themes and page builder-compatible designs.
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How Much Do WordPress Themes Cost?
The cost of WordPress themes accommodates a wide range of budgets. Thousands of free themes are available for those just getting started.
For premium themes, prices typically range from $10 to over $200, with the average price point sitting at about $59. Theme membership subscriptions, which grant access to a full collection of themes, run between $48 and $399 per year, with the average annual cost around $145.
Some providers also offer lifetime memberships for a one-time payment, eliminating yearly renewals. The average cost for a lifetime membership is approximately $255, making it a practical option for developers and agencies managing multiple sites.
Source: CodeinWP
How Many WordPress Plugins Are There?
There are over 61,000 free plugins in the WordPress Plugin Directory and more than 5,200 paid plugins on CodeCanyon. Together, these two sources account for over 66,000 plugins.
This number only scratches the surface. The broader WordPress ecosystem includes thousands of additional plugins sold through independent developers, SaaS companies, and niche marketplaces. The true total likely exceeds 70,000 plugins.
What Are the Most Popular WordPress Plugins?
Several plugins have crossed the 5 million active installation mark, reflecting the core functionalities WordPress users rely on most:
- Elementor — 10+ million active installations
- Yoast SEO — 10+ million
- Contact Form 7 — 10+ million
- Classic Editor — 9+ million
- WooCommerce — 7+ million
- LiteSpeed Cache — 7+ million
- Akismet — 6+ million
- WPForms — 6+ million
- All-in-One WP Migration — 5+ million
- Site Kit by Google — 5+ million
- Wordfence Security — 5+ million
The diversity of these top plugins, spanning page building, SEO, forms, eCommerce, caching, security, and analytics, illustrates the breadth of what WordPress can do out of the box with the right plugins.
Source: WordPress.org Plugin Directory
WordPress & WooCommerce Statistics
WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce platform in the world, powering 33.43% of all online stores globally and 8.6% of all websites globally.
It outpaces its nearest competitors significantly: Shopify holds 21.33%, Custom Cart solutions account for 12.46%, and Wix holds 7.53%. WooCommerce’s position as an open-source, WordPress-native solution gives it a unique advantage in flexibility and cost.
Applying that 8.6% to NetCraft’s total of 1.42 billion websites gives an estimated 122 million websites running WooCommerce, though many of these may be inactive or low-traffic.
Sources: Store Leads, W3Techs
Final Thoughts
The WordPress statistics covered in this article confirm what the numbers have been saying for over a decade: WordPress is the dominant force in web development, and that position isn’t changing anytime soon.
With 42.6% of all websites, a 60.2% CMS market share, and a thriving ecosystem of themes, plugins, and developers, WordPress remains the most practical choice for building virtually any type of website. Its continued evolution, from block editing to AI integration to headless architectures, ensures it stays relevant as web technology advances.
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