Powering the Web: Unveiling WordPress Statistics - Insights and Trends in the World’s Favorite CMS

Intro

If you’ve never heard of WordPress you must have been hiding under a rock for many years. As the world’s most popular content management system (CMS), its market share has been rising exponentially from the day it first launched in 2003. Two decades later, around 810 million websites use WordPress, which represents around 43% of the total number of websites online

The idea behind the launch was to provide users with an easy-to-use platform to start their websites as most people find HTML and PHP very challenging to learn.

Users can use the platform to manage, create, and design the content for their website and no prior knowledge of coding is needed.

Whatever your interest in WordPress, the following stats and trends will be enlightening.

WordPress Statistics 2024 Top Picks

Here are a few of the most interesting statistics about WordPress:

• Almost 40% of internet sites are powered by WordPress
• Around 70 million posts are published by WordPress.com users every month
• WordPress has been the fastest-growing CMS platform for 11 years in a row
• 409 million internet users visit WordPress.com pages every month
• Around 70 million posts are published monthly by WordPress.com users
• 71% of WordPress.com blogs are written in English
• An average of 661 new sites are launched via WordPress daily
• The “WordPress” keyword is searched 2.3 million times monthly globally
• WordPress is the 4th most viewed platform in the US after Google, Facebook, and Yahoo

WordPress Usage Statistics

WordPress is one of the most well-known platforms people can use to create their website. The following statistics show how widely the platform is used:

• The number of websites powered by WordPress has increased by 4.5% since 2020
• WordPress powers a range of websites from Fortune 500 companies to hobby blogs
• WordPress isn’t the only CMS available, but it powers 64.1% of all sites
• Shopify is the closest competitor but trails behind with a 3.2% market share
• Almost one-third of the top 1000 sites use WordPress
• The latest version of WordPress has been downloaded over 54 million times
• 27 posts are published every second on WordPress sites around the world
• WordPress gets the most of its downloads on Wednesdays, while Fridays are the least popular

WordPress Revenue and Marketplace

There is one feature that makes WordPress so popular, and that’s the number of available plugins. Here are some compelling facts and figures:

• The current WordPress directory lists over 58,000 plugins
• The most downloaded plugin of all time is Akismet
• Each of the top 8 most popular plugins has over 5 million active installations
• The most popular eCommerce plugin is WooCommerce
• WordPress has grown by 27% in the past decade
• 65% of the websites that use CMS prefer WordPress
• WordPress is used in more than 178 countries and is available in more than 60 different languages
• In the United States, there are over 3.8 million active WordPress websites

WordPress Traffic Statistics

WordPress traffic has increased tremendously over the last decade. Here are some figures related to that growth:

• As of 2023, approximately 409 million people view over 20 billion pages per month through WordPress
• 77 million new comments are posted on WordPress websites
• 70 million new posts are published monthly through the WordPress CMS
• Roughly 163 million unique visitors are recorded by WordPress monthly

WordPress Plugin Statistics

There is one feature that makes WordPress so popular, and that’s the number of available plugins. Here are some compelling facts and figures:

• The current WordPress directory lists over 58,000 plugins
• The most downloaded plugin of all time is Akismet
• Each of the top 8 most popular plugins has over 5 million active installations
• The most popular eCommerce plugin is WooCommerce
• Yoast has the most active installation and 5-star ratings

WordPress Version Statistics

Since the WordPress platform was created, there have been 43 major versions, each with new features and software updates. Here are some facts and figures:

• Version 5 is used by 39.1% of WordPress users
• Almost 50% of WordPress sites run on version 5.7
• The most used version of WordPress is 6.1
• WordPress PHP version 7.4 is used by 56.1% of WordPress sites
• WordPress releases major updates two to three times per year

WordPress Theme Statistics

The front-end styling information for a website is all in the WordPress theme files. Here are some statistics that highlight the most popular themes on the market:

• The WordPress theme directory currently contains almost 4,000 themes which means there are plenty to choose from if you’re considering changing your website’s theme
• The most popular themes to break the one-million active installations mark are Astra, Twenty Twenty, and Twenty Seventeen
• Responsive themes are those that adjust their layout and design to fit different screen sizes and resolutions. 93% of themes sold on Envato Market are this type
• The average cost of a theme is around $60
• WordPress theme club subscriptions cost on average $145
• More than 9000 free WordPress themes are available in the WordPress theme repository

WordPress Security Statistics

Source: Melapress

Security is an important factor you should consider when choosing a CMS. Here are some statistics relating to WordPress security:

• In one study, around 3/4 of malware-infected websites were built on WordPress
• Over 4.3 million Vulnerability Exploit Attempts targeted WordPress in 2020
• Over half of hacked websites run on an outdated version of the platform
• 8% of WordPress websites are hacked because of weak passwords
• The biggest source of WordPress security vulnerabilities is plugins
• More than 90k attacks are made on WordPress sites every minute
• According to research by Sucuri, 60.04% of websites analyzed contained at least one backdoor
• 52% of infected WordPress sites are out of date
• It’s anticipated that WordPress will greatly enhance security by integrating blockchain technology

WordPress Community

WordCamps are conferences that focus on everything WordPress. These informal, community-organized events are put together by WordPress users. Here are some interesting statistics about these events:

• As of February 2020, more than 1000 WordCamps have been organized in total all over the globe, in 373 cities, 65 countries, on 6 continents
• The first WordCamp was held in San Francisco, CA on August 5th, 2006
• There are 495,331+ active members in WordPress meetup groups all over the world

WordPress Trends for 2024

Various trends will be seen in 2024. They include user-friendly websites, simple website design, and more.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to significantly influence web development, especially within WordPress, and will include a rise in AI features like a chatbot for customer service or improved user engagement, machine learning for content personalization, and supercharging SEO efforts
• WordPress is expected to place greater emphasis on optimizing for voice search in 2024
• The focus in web development, particularly in WordPress, is expected to shift towards a mobile-first design philosophy to enhance the user experience and align with search engine preferences. This trend emphasizes the need for seamless and secure NFC payment apps to cater to the increasing mobile-centric user base.
• It is expected that WordPress websites will be integrating immersive technologies such as AR and VR by 2024

Conclusion

As we conclude our journey through the fascinating realm of WordPress statistics for 2024, one thing is abundantly clear - WordPress stands as a formidable force, continually shaping the digital landscape.

From its robust user base to the versatility of its functional sites, WordPress remains the go-to choice for individuals and businesses alike.