As of the W3Techs report dated 29 September 2026, WordPress powers 40.2% of all websites surveyed. Among websites where a content-management system (CMS) is identified, its share is 58.7%. Those percentages use different denominators, so neither should be presented as a replacement for the other. W3Techs updates the comparison daily, making the report date essential context.
How many websites use WordPress in 2026?
W3Techs reports WordPress on 40.2% of all websites in its 29 September 2026 snapshot. “All websites” is the denominator for this usage percentage, including sites for which no CMS is identified. The live comparison page and its methodology links are available at W3Techs’ WordPress comparison.
WordPress.org’s About page describes the project as running on “over 43% of all sites across the web,” but that wording is undated. It should not be treated as a like-for-like 2026 estimate against the dated W3Techs figure. See WordPress.org About.
WordPress usage percentage versus CMS market share
The two headline numbers answer different questions:
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
#1 Best Overall
| Measure | 2026 figure | Denominator and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Usage percentage | 40.2% | All websites in the W3Techs survey; report dated 29 September 2026. |
| CMS market share | 58.7% | Websites with an identified CMS; same W3Techs report date. |
| Top 1,000,000 ranking | 48.6% | Known-CMS sites within that ranking band, not all sites in the ranking. |
| Top 100,000 ranking | 50.9% | Known-CMS sites within that ranking band. |
| Top 10,000 ranking | 51.4% | Known-CMS sites within that ranking band. |
| Top 1,000 ranking | 50.4% | Known-CMS sites within that ranking band. |
Because the CMS figures exclude sites without an identified CMS, they are higher than the all-site usage percentage. The ranking figures are conditional percentages for each rank band and are not estimates of WordPress’s share of every website in those bands.
How current are these WordPress statistics?
W3Techs says its reports update daily. A percentage quoted without a report date can therefore become stale quickly. For publication or research, record the access date and link to the live comparison page rather than presenting the September snapshot as a permanent value.
W3Techs provides methodology and historical-trend links, but the retrieved comparison page does not establish enough detail to describe the survey as a census or to claim a particular sampling procedure. The figures should be reported as W3Techs measurements with their stated population and date.
What WordPress.org publishes about configurations
The official WordPress statistics page presents charts for WordPress versions, PHP versions, database versions, and languages. WordPress.org describes these charts as “a snapshot of the systems and configurations the WordPress community is running.” The live charts can change, and the retrieved material does not provide legible current percentages for those categories, so use the page directly and record the date when quoting a distribution.
Rank #3
WordPress facts and history
Origins
WordPress began in 2003, when Mike Little and Matt Mullenweg created a fork of b2/cafelog, according to WordPress.org.
Technology and license
The project is built on PHP and MariaDB and is released under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later (GPLv2 or later). The license permits users to run, study, modify, and redistribute the software under its terms.
Rank #4
What the statistics do—and do not—show
- They show measured presence across the populations and rank bands defined by W3Techs, not the number of individual WordPress installations or page views.
- The 40.2% and 58.7% values cannot be compared as though they share a denominator.
- The ranking breakdowns describe only sites with a known CMS in each band.
- The figures do not by themselves establish performance, security quality, hosting reliability, or the popularity of any particular WordPress provider.
- No like-for-like independent survey comparison is established by the cited sources, so a consensus percentage should not be inferred.
WordPress security support in 2026
The official WordPress security guidance says that only the latest WordPress version is officially supported. Security fixes may be backported to older versions as a courtesy, but that is not equivalent to a promise of ongoing, equal support for every old installation. The page also directs vulnerability reports through separate confidential channels for WordPress core, plugins, and themes.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Practical implication for site owners
- Keep WordPress updated to the latest version whenever compatibility permits.
- Track PHP, database, plugin, and theme versions as well as WordPress core.
- Treat courtesy backports for older releases as limited protection, not a reason to defer upgrades indefinitely.
- Use the official security page’s reporting routes if you discover a vulnerability.
How to cite WordPress adoption responsibly
- Name the source: W3Techs or WordPress.org.
- State the report or access date.
- Define the denominator immediately: all websites, known-CMS websites, or a specified ranking band.
- Preserve the qualification that W3Techs updates its figures daily.
- Use the live WordPress.org statistics page for configuration percentages instead of carrying forward an undated chart value.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
