WordPress Statistics 2025 – Usage, Plugins, Themes, Security

WordPress, the biggest content management system in the world, requires no formal introduction. If you're considering WordPress and curious about its prevalence and the most in-demand themes and plugins, you're not alone. To help you, we've compiled a WordPress statistics guide that answers all these questions and more.

The article provides you with a comprehensive understanding of WordPress and answers crucial questions. Above all, it will clear your doubts on whether WordPress is the right choice for bringing your business online or not. Or how to get the best out of the platform if WordPress already powers your site.

WordPress Market Share Statistics: Why WordPress is the Undisputed Market Leader?

1. WordPress powers more than 43% of the web in 2023, translating to a staggering 810 million websites on the internet.

(W3Techs — WordPress Usage, Kinsta)

According to Kinsta's WordPress market share report, as of January 2023, 63% of websites with a known content management system use WordPress. This marks a significant increase from 39% in 2021.

Just to give an idea of the popularity of WordPress compared to other best CMS, Joomla — the second most popular CMS — is used by only 4.6% of sites.

Drupal, another popular self-hosted content management system like Joomla, accounts for only 3% of websites.

Interestingly, W3Techs' WordPress statistics indicate that Shopify is the second most popular content management system, with a 5.6% market share. That is still a distinct second, and for the time being, WordPress isn't going to be dethroned from being the most popular content management system.

W3Techs's data also reports that WordPress powers 59% of the top 1 million sites. To break it down:

• 56% of the top 100,000 websites with a known CMS use WordPress vs. 4% for Shopify.
• 51% of the top 10,000 websites with a known CMS use WordPress vs. 3.8% for Shopify.
• 47% of the top 1000 websites use WordPress vs. 4.1% for Shopify.

Major sites like The New York Times, Facebook Newsroom, BBC America, TechCrunch, and many more all rely on WordPress as their CMS of choice.

2. One can host a website on WordPress.com for less than US$ 60/year and buy a domain name for as little as US$ 10.

(Manaferra)

In 2011, only 12% of websites with a known content management system used WordPress. Today, according to Manaferra's website statistics, 43.2% of websites use WordPress.

Shopify and Wix have seen some growth, but WordPress experienced a tremendous rise from 2011 to 2023. For context, Shopify was launched in 2014, and 3.8% of websites use it today. Wix was launched in 2013 and is now used by 2.5% of websites.

3% of websites used Drupal in 2011. However, according to Manaferra's WordPress stats, only 1.2% of websites with a known CMS use Drupal today. This means Drupal's user base has declined over the years.

Manaferra reports a similar trend with one of the best CMSs — Joomla. Only 1.8% of websites now use Joomla. Some 4% of websites used Joomla back in 2011.

The growing popularity of WordPress is not a stroke of luck. Thanks to continuous development, WordPress accessibility and user-friendliness have increased steadily over the years.

In addition, WordPress features like ease of use, open-source nature, security, and community support are incomparable to any other best CMS available today. And with many plugins, themes, and templates to choose from, users can enhance the functionality of their WordPress site.

However, one can also choose WordPress.org, which allows users to choose WordPress web hosting services and domain name generators per their preferences.

According to Manaferra site stats, this is the ranking of the 7 best CMSs between 2011 to 2023:

3. English (44.2%), Spanish (5.9%), and Japanese (5.9%) are the top three languages in which WordPress is used.

(WordPress — Translations)

WordPress.org is available in virtually every language, with WordPress sites being translated into over 208 languages. Of these, 52 have translations that are more than 50% complete.

Some other popular languages in which WordPress is used are German (5.7%), French (4.4%), and British English (3.5%).

When it comes to language support for WordPress plugins and themes, the top languages are English, Spanish, German, French, and Portuguese.

WordPress provides built-in translation capabilities. So, it is simple for WordPress developers to translate the website into different languages.

4. 45% of the ranking results on Google SERP are powered by WordPress CMS.

(GotchSEO)

To settle the debate of which CMS is the best for SEO, GotchSEO analyzed the top 10 SERPs and found that a majority of the ranking results do not use a CMS at all.

As much as 58% of the ranking websites on Google SERP do not use a CMS.

However, if you remove the sites that aren't using a CMS, it becomes clear which CMS is the best for SEO.

According to GotchSEO's WordPress Statistics, 45% of the ranking results are powered by WordPress.

To rank on Google SERPs, websites must be well-optimized. From image optimization to metadata, every aspect is crucial for SEO.

And data reveals WordPress is the best SEO-friendly CMS. For instance, quality themes and plugins ensure that visitors enjoy a first-class user experience on a WordPress site. Plugins such as Yoast SEO let WordPress users create metadata (an important SEO ranking factor) conveniently.

In addition, WordPress sites are optimized for mobile users. Mobile traffic has increased by 222% in the last 5 years, which explains the importance of mobile optimization.

If you choose to build a site from scratch, you might have to spend thousands of dollars on mobile optimization. With WordPress, however, all you have to do is choose a responsive theme.

MediaWiki (9%), Drupal (8%), and Adobe Experience Manager (4%) are other top CMS that are best for SEO.

5. WordPress version 6 is used by 67.1% of all websites powered by WordPress.

(W3Techs, WordPress)

As of April 2023, WordPress version 5 is used by 26.2% of all websites powered by WordPress, while 6.3% of WordPress websites still use version 4.

W3Techs WP statistics also report that the majority of websites powered by WordPress (73%) use PHP 7, with only 20.8% of websites using PHP 8.

It is crucial to note that using older PHP and WordPress versions is the biggest reason for security vulnerabilities (more on this later).

Key Insights Into WordPress Plugin Directory

6. A vast selection of over 60,000 plugins is available on WordPress, and their downloads have surpassed one billion.

(WordPress)

WordPress plugins are used to add many functions, such as contact forms, improve website security, optimize search engine rankings, create e-commerce stores, integrate social media platforms, and more.

In simple words, WordPress plugins allow developers to customize their websites without extensive coding or technical expertise.

Moreover, it is a mistake to assume that only small businesses or solopreneurs use WordPress plugins. Many successful businesses and e-commerce stores are built on WordPress and are performing well.

To date, WordPress plugins have been downloaded more than 1.6 billion times collectively.

7. The top 10 most popular WordPress plugins account for 131,274,557 active installs.

(WordPress, WPDesk, Kinsta)

WPDesk's site stats suggest that there is no definite way to calculate the number of active installations. This is because important WordPress players do not share the required data to estimate the number of active installations.

When you see the number of active installations of a WordPress plugin, the WordPress plugin directory will not show more than 5 million in most cases.

According to WPDesk's estimates, Contact Form 7 is currently the most popular WordPress plugin, given it comes first in the plugins' index in the WordPress repository.

According to Kinsta, however, the most popular WordPress plugins are:

• Yoast SEO. Yoast SEO, which is considered one of the best SEO tools for improving website ranking, has been downloaded over 176 million times by users who aim to enhance their overall SEO score.
• Akismet. A WordPress plugin developed by Automattic to block spam comments. This plugin has over 133 million downloads.
• Wordfence security. One of the primary causes of WordPress vulnerabilities is the use of nulled plugins. Thus, it is reassuring to see that Wordfence, which has over 121 million downloads, is among the most widely used WordPress plugins.

Kinsta mentions that these WordPress plugins are popular because of their freemium nature. Visual Composer and Slider Revolution top the list when it comes to the best-paid WordPress plugins.

Aside from this, Kinsta also reports that Google Analytics is integrated with more than 50% of WordPress sites. According to the same survey, more than 90% of users that use Google Analytics consider it an essential tool for their website.

8. Utilities and interface elements are the two most profitable plugin types, each bringing in over US$ 7 million.

(WP Engine)

Utility plugins enhance the functionality and performance of WordPress websites, making them more user-friendly, while interface element plugins provide animated banners, buttons, menus, sliders, and other design elements.

Together, these two types of plugins generate over US$ 14 million in annual revenue.

On the other hand, plugins related to widgets, SEO, forums, and auctions collectively generate less than $1 million.

The average income for a WordPress plugin author is US$ 13,334, while the average annual revenue for a plugin in the WordPress plugin directory is US$ 8,350.

What's worth noting is WordPress plugins are now being sold at a higher rate than when they were first introduced.

When plugins were first released, their sales volume was just 2% compared to the total number of themes sold. In other words, initially, plugins made up only a small fraction of the sales compared to themes. Today, however, for every two WordPress themes sold, one plugin is sold.

According to WP Engine, the majority of WordPress plugin authors come from the US (79%), the UK (45%), and Indonesia (26%).

Here's a list of all types of popular WordPress plugins by their total revenue:

9. 59% of WordPress users employ 5 to 15 plugins on their site, while 25% use more than 15 plugins.

(WP White Security, ManageWP)

WP White Security statistics reveal that approximately 16% of WordPress individuals use 1 to 5 plugins on their websites.

The same WP statistics also indicate that 64% of WordPress users attempt to use plugins from a single author. 27% of users sometimes make this effort. Additionally, 7% of users do not make any such efforts.

ManageWP disagrees with the common belief among WordPress professionals that there is a limit to the number of plugins one should install.

They advise businesses to be cautious when installing plugins, as it is not the number of plugins that affects the site speed or performance but the quality. It reports that a single bad plugin can potentially compromise the WordPress core.

It also provides a methodology that WordPress software developers should use to decide whether a plugin is well-coded or not:

• Research the plugin author and find whether the author is known for high-quality plugins or not.
• Ensure that the plugin is used widely and does not have any reported issues.
• Regular updates from the author ensure that user feedback is used to refine the code.
• Look for easy-to-understand and thorough documentation.
• Review whether the plugin is simple to use. ManageWP mentions that an easy-to-use interface is many times a sign of a well-coded plugin.

WordPress Theme Statistics

10. There are over 10,000 themes in the official WordPress theme directory.

(WordPress.org — Themes, WP Theme Detector)

Since 2010, WordPress has released a new theme every year. WordPress names these themes after the release year.

According to WordPress.org, more than 8,000 themes in the official WordPress theme directory are free. This includes WordPress themes developed by Automattic, as well as from third-party specialists.

Interestingly, according to WPThemeDetector, the 19 most used themes come from an external company.

Divi is the most popular WordPress theme as of April 2023, used by over 2.80% of the analyzed sites. Genesis (1.42%), Astra (1.93%), Newspaper (0.94%), and Avada (1.39%) are other popular WordPress themes.

11. Divi (1.43%), Astra (1.32%), and Hello Elementor (1.11%) are the most popular WordPress themes used among the top 1 million sites.

(BuiltWith)

BuiltWith analyzed the top 1 million websites on the internet. It reports that Divi is the most popular WordPress theme, used by over 14,000 of all the analyzed websites.

Furthermore, Divi (6%), Astra (6%), and Hello Elementor (5%) are also the most popular WordPress themes in terms of the number of installations. Combined, they have 17% of the market share.

Powering eCommerce: Fascinating WooCommerce Statistics

12. WooCommerce powers more than 70 million eCommerce shops on WordPress.

(BuiltWith)

WordPress was initially developed as a blogging platform. However, it has gained significant dominance in the field of e-commerce.

And one of the most popular eCommerce plugins is WooCommerce. Like WordPress, WooCommerce is free; however, a paid version provides extra functionalities (using extensions).

According to BuiltWith's WP statistics, 28.01% of the top 1 million sites use WooCommerce, making it one of the most popular free eCommerce platforms among the high-traffic sites.

In addition, the WooCommerce market share is growing rapidly, with an increase of over 8% in 2020.

13. WooCommerce has a market share of 67.97% in the eCommerce platforms category.

(6Sense, Kinsta)

Shopify (16.42%), Magneto (2.65%), and Jimdo (1.95%) are the top three WooCommerce competitors in the eCommerce platform category.

Kinsta reports that when it comes to the top 100K sites on the internet, Shopify is the market leader. But then again, it is essential to note that only 58,501 sites in the top 100K slice are running a known eCommerce platform.

Of the top 10,000 sites with a known ecommerce platform, 459 use Shopify. And some 113 use WooCommerce.

However, it's important to note that what works for these top sites may not necessarily work for your own company. That is why Kinsta recommends users compare both Shopify and WooCommerce before deciding on the best ecommerce platform for their WordPress site.

In addition, Kinsta advises that new retail store owners should explore WooCommerce alternatives or Shopify alternatives. This is because alternative platforms may provide additional features that better suit their business needs, allowing for a quick and simple eCommerce business setup.

Also important to note, the average rating of the WooCommerce plugin is 4.6 out of 5 in the official WordPress plugin directory.

WordPress Security Statistics: What You Need to Know to Keep Your Website Safe?

14. WordPress sites see around 9 attacks per minute; that's around 13K attacks per day, 390K attacks monthly, and 4.9 million attacks annually.

(Sophos, Sucuri)

There isn't any exact information on how many WordPress sites are attacked daily. Still, almost all estimates indicate WordPress sites are attacked several times daily.

For context, Sucuri estimates WordPress sites see around 13K attacks daily. According to Sophos estimates, WordPress gets attacked 30K times a day.

Furthermore, Sucuri reports that 4.3% of all WordPress websites have been attacked at some point. This means 1 in every 25 WordPress has been attacked.

Sucuri recommends businesses adopt secure coding practices and use a robust web application firewall to avoid cyber attacks.

15. 8% of WordPress websites get hacked because of a weak password.

(Wordfence)

According to a study conducted by Wordfence, of the 8K sites analyzed for security vulnerabilities, 74% were built using WordPress.

The same study reports that WordPress sites see around 90K attacks per minute.

Credentials stuffing attack, using stolen or multiple credentials to access the WordPress site, was the most common attack type against WordPress websites in 2022.

Last year, more than 800K IP addresses were actively engaged in credential-stuffing attacks daily. A majority of these IP addresses belonged to the United States (14 million+), India (4 million+), and the United Kingdom (4 million+).

According to Wordfence, credentials stuffing has become the most common type of WordPress attack because many companies use the same credentials for multiple sites. Plus, many businesses use weak passwords.

That is why Wordfence recommends businesses use good password generators to create strong passwords. And reliable password managers so companies can create different credentials for different online accounts and remember them conveniently.

Coming to the second most common attack on WordPress websites, malicious User-Agents accounted for 23 billion attacks.

All in all, Wordfence recommends users use a web application firewall to make sure their WordPress site is secured. Additionally, it advises businesses to educate staff about WordPress security (policy control, avoiding phishing attacks, or installing nulled plugins).

16. Malicious files have been present on over 1.2 million WordPress websites over the last two years.

(Wordfence, Sucuri)

WordPress vulnerabilities are often a result of plugins and themes. According to Wordfence, many WordPress sites that were infected two years ago are still infected.

But it also reports that there is a decline in average daily infections. WordPress websites experienced an average of 330K attacks in January of 2022, dropping to 310K by December.

Wordfence also reports a decline in the number of nulled plugin installations. In 2020, nulled plugin installations were the most widespread WordPress vulnerability.

Another significant point is that the most active malware signature found on WordPress sites is three years old.

Moreover, the top 10 infamous malware signatures are at least one year old. This indicates a mature state of PHP malware.

The good thing is adopting PHP 8.0 will decrease the chances of vulnerabilities. This is because most of the widespread malware found on WordPress uses backdoors and functionalities that are no longer available in the latest version of PHP.

Aside from this, Wordfence suggests administrators regularly update their core, plugins, and themes to keep their WordPress sites secure.

In addition, Wordfence recommends using a Web Application Firewall, which will be sufficient to address exploitable critical flaws, like cross-site scripting.

WordPress Maintenance: Earning With WordPress Statistics

17. 52% of WordPress professionals offer 3 or more services to clients.

(ManageWP)

According to ManageWP, top 3-tier service providers offer a range of services like:

• plugin, theme, and core updates;
• backups; hosting; uptime monitoring;
• security and malware cleanup.

ManageWP suggests that maintenance providers should offer multi-tier services. This approach shows that service providers can meet all clients' essential needs. And that is better than the average WordPress developer who often provides just a single service.

As per ManageWP's findings, the most in-demand services among clients include:

• Updates for plugins, themes, and core components (95.3%)
• Data backups (87.3%)
• Security measures and malware removal (62.7%)
• Monitoring website uptime (58.7%)
• Web hosting (57.3%)

These findings indicate that clients want their WordPress websites to run smoothly and be secure and free from potential issues.

WordPress Community Statistics

18. As of April 2023, there have been 1149 WordCamps in 384 cities, in 65 countries, and on 6 continents.

(WordCamp)

The first WordCamp was organized in 2006 by Matt Mullenweg in San Francisco. Since then, WordPress developers and users have gathered worldwide to learn more about WordPress, like plugins and theme development, improve site security, and more.

Users who have missed a WordCamp can watch the replay of the talks on WordPress.tv.

What Do These WordPress Statistics Mean for Businesses?

WordPress has evolved from a simple blogging platform to a highly adaptable and flexible CMS over the past two decades. The latest WordPress statistics indicate that it has a significant lead in the market, and other CMS platforms are trailing far behind.

Businesses can learn several things based on the WP statistics mentioned above.

For instance, WP statistics about the most popular plugins and themes allow businesses to choose themes and plugins based on their needs and preferences. Regarding WordPress security statistics, companies can learn about the frequency and nature of attacks on WordPress sites. And they can take the necessary precautions to prevent cyber attacks and secure their WordPress sites.

Additionally, for ecommerce businesses powered by WordPress, these WP statistics help in deciding whether WooCommerce is the right ecommerce platform for them.

Coming to the WordPress maintenance statistics, they inform about the most sought-after services by clients. So, freelancers and agencies can offer the same and meet all the essential needs of their clients.

Overall, this WordPress statistics guide aims to inform businesses of the latest WordPress trends. So they can make informed decisions about their sites and utilize the information to take necessary steps to run their WordPress sites securely and smoothly.

Sources

1. W3Techs — Usage and Market Share of WordPress
2. Manaferra — WordPress Statistics
3. WordPress Translated Languages
4. GotchSEO — Best CMS for SEO
5. WordPress.org — Themes
6. WP Theme Detector
7. WordPress Plugins
8. WPDesk — Popular WordPress Plugins
9. Kinsta — WordPress Research and Statistics
10. Kinsta — Google Analytics
11. 6Sense — WooCommerce Market Share
12. Kinsta — WordPress and WooCommerce Market Share
13. BuiltWith — Top 1 Million Sites Ecommerce Technologies Report
14. WP Engine — Themes and Plugins
15. Wordfence — State of WordPress Security
16. Sucuri
17. Sophos
18. WP White Security
19. ManageWP

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