Is PHP dead? Usage statistics and market share for 2022.
Introduction
If you are looking for more up to date information, numbers for 2023 are available! And no surprise there, PHP is still king. 😎
PHP is dead. Or is it?
In 2022, PHP is the most used server-side scripting language with more than 77% market share overall, according to W3Techs.
| Language | Usage in October 2022 |
|---|---|
| PHP | 77.4% |
| ASP.NET | 7.5% |
| Ruby | 5.6% |
| Java | 4.5% |
| Scala | 2.7% |
| JavaScript | 2.2% |
| Static files | 1.8% |
| Python | 1.4% |
| ColdFusion | 0.3% |
| Perl | 0.1% |
| Erlang | 0.1% |
Whenever you hear someone telling you “PHP is dead”, ignore them and look at the data.
PHP versions market share in 2022
The PHP version having the most market share in 2022 is PHP 7.
WordPress requires at least PHP 7.4 to be installed. Imagine how PHP 8 usage will skyrocket once WordPress increments its minimum requirements.
It’s also funny to see some ancient websites still up and running thanks to PHP 4. 😅
| PHP Version | Usage in October 2022 |
|---|---|
| 7 | 71.1% |
| 5 | 23.0% |
| 8 | 5.7% |
| 4 | 0.2% |
Popular websites using PHP
A language is viable if it can be ran at scale by big teams.
What’s better than a list of the most popular websites actually using at a huge scale?
- Facebook. They actually started with PHP, but later created a version of PHP (called “Hack”) that better suits their needs.
- Wikipedia
- WordPress.org
- Vk.com
- Vimeo
- Zoom.us
- WordPress.com
- Tumblr
CMS (Content Management System) market share in 2022
The CMS having the most market share in 2022 is WordPress.
Demand for content management systems (CMS) is exploding. Businesses always need to reach new customers through SEO, and a good CMS is mandatory for that. This trend will likely never fade.
| CMS | Market share in October 2022 |
|---|---|
| WordPress | 64.3% |
| Shopify | 6.1% |
| Wix | 3.4% |
| Squarespace | 2.9% |
| Joomla | 2.4% |
| Drupal | 1.8% |
| Adobe Systems | 1.6% |
| Google Systems | 1.3% |
| Bitrix | 1.1% |
| Webflow | 0.9% |
| PrestaShop | 0.8% |
| OpenCart | 0.8% |
WordPress marketshare in 2022
WordPress has more than 64% market share across the web.
I’m not surprised that WordPress is so popular. It’s an always-evolving CMS, there are plenty of great WordPress hosts, and it has a lot of excellent themes and plugins to help you reach your goals.
Also, if you ever want to switch away from WordPress, most alternatives offer tools to import every post you already wrote. That means WordPress is a safe choice to begin with.
WordPress versions market share in 2022
The WordPress version having the most market share in 2022 is version 6.
Version 6 of WordPress is a significant update that includes a new default theme and a new block-based editor. This new editor is a major change to how WordPress works and allows for more flexibility and creativity when creating new content.
This alone probably drives people to update to the latest major version and, therefore, the latest PHP version.
| WordPress Version | Usage in October 2022 |
|---|---|
| 6 | 57.7% |
| 5 | 35.4% |
| 4 | 6.5% |
| 3 | 0.4% |
| 2 | <0.1% |
PHP frameworks market share in 2022
The PHP framework having the most market share in 2022 is Laravel, according to the numbers below. Laravel is by far the favorite on Packagist and GitHub.
Laravel VS other frameworks on Packagist
The most popular PHP framework on Packagist in 2022 is Laravel.
| Package | Downloads in October 2022 |
|---|---|
| laravel/framework | > 220,500,800 |
| symfony/symfony | > 31,000,000 |
| cakephp/cakephp | > 10,000,000 |
| codeigniter/framework | > 1,330,000 |
| codeigniter4/framework | > 950,000 |
Laravel VS other frameworks on GitHub
The most popular PHP framework on GitHub in 2022 is Laravel.
| Repository | Stars in October 2022 |
|---|---|
| laravel/laravel | > 71,300 |
| symfony/symfony | > 27,600 |
| bcit-ci/CodeIgniter | > 18,200 |
| cakephp/cakephp | > 8,600 |
