How Many Websites Use WordPress

If you have ever wondered how many websites use WordPress, the short answer is “a huge share of the internet.” WordPress powers a massive portion of all websites and an even larger share of sites that use a content management system (CMS).

In this guide, you will see the latest numbers for WordPress usage, how many websites that represents, and why different sources report slightly different totals. You will also learn what this market share means if you are deciding whether to use WordPress for your own site.

Quick Answer: How Many Websites Use WordPress?

Let’s start with the big picture before we dig into the details.

• WordPress powers around 43% of all websites on the internet.
• Among sites that use a known CMS, WordPress holds roughly 60–63% market share.
• Depending on how you count, estimates range from about 450 million to more than 800 million WordPress websites worldwide.

Numbers vary because different companies use different data sources and methods. However, every major dataset agrees on one thing: WordPress is the dominant way people build websites today.

WordPress Usage: Where Do These Numbers Come From?

When you ask about WordPress usage, you are really asking, “According to which source?” Several organizations track this data using different methods.

Key data sources for WordPress usage

Each provider uses its own sample, so it is better to treat these numbers as estimates and look at the trend: WordPress consistently sits above 40% of the entire web and far ahead of any other CMS.

Percentage vs. Raw Count: How Many Websites Use WordPress?

There are two main ways to answer this question: by percentage of the web and by estimated raw count.

1. Percentage of the whole web

• Most major studies show WordPress powering roughly 43% of all websites.
• For sites that use a known CMS, WordPress typically holds around 60–63% market share.
• This is why you often hear people say WordPress powers “almost half of the internet.”

2. Estimated number of WordPress websites

Turning percentages into a raw count is trickier. Different companies estimate the total number of active websites differently, which leads to widely varying totals:

• Some reports estimate around 470–480 million websites using WordPress.
• Other studies put the figure closer to 800–860 million WordPress sites, using different assumptions and larger totals for all websites.
• Older stats often quoted “455 million” WordPress sites, which is simply an earlier snapshot of the same upward trend.

The key takeaway is not the exact number, but the scale: hundreds of millions of sites use WordPress, far beyond any other CMS or website builder.

How Many Big or Popular Websites Use WordPress?

WordPress is not just for small blogs. It is used by many large brands, publishers, and high traffic sites.

• Analyses of the world’s top 1 million websites often show roughly 15–20% using WordPress.
• WordPress powers major news outlets, company blogs, government sites, and large ecommerce stores.
• Even some well known SaaS companies run their marketing sites or blogs on WordPress while their app runs separately.

This proves that WordPress can scale and handle serious traffic, not just hobby projects.

Why Different Sources Disagree on How Many Websites Use WordPress

If you compare several WordPress usage articles, you will see slightly different stats. That is normal, and there are a few reasons it happens.

1. Different definitions of “website”

• Some providers count every domain or subdomain they find.
• Others try to filter out parked domains, test installs, and spam sites.
• Some include every site they can detect, even if it is inactive but still online.

2. Different sample sets

• Some services focus on the top few million sites, not every small site on the internet.
• Others crawl broader datasets, but use different detection rules and thresholds.
• Hosting companies may combine external stats with their own internal data.

3. Constantly changing web

• New sites launch and old ones disappear every day.
• Site owners switch between platforms, such as moving from Wix to WordPress or from custom code to WordPress.
• Reports you read may be based on data that is already several months old.

Because of this, it is smarter to treat all these numbers as a moving range instead of a single “true” figure.

What It Means When So Many Websites Use WordPress

Knowing how widely WordPress is used is interesting, but the real question is: why should you care?

1. Huge ecosystem and long term support

• A platform that powers 40%+ of the web is unlikely to disappear any time soon.
• Plugins, themes, and integrations are plentiful because developers follow where users are.
• Hosting providers optimize their stacks specifically for WordPress performance and security.

2. Tons of tutorials, help, and talent

• There are thousands of tutorials, YouTube channels, and blogs covering almost every WordPress topic.
• It is easy to find freelancers and agencies who know WordPress well.
• Problems you hit are usually problems someone else has already solved and documented.

3. Strong community and ongoing innovation

• Core WordPress receives regular updates for new features, speed, and security.
• A large open source community helps patch vulnerabilities quickly.
• Popular plugins like WooCommerce, Yoast SEO, and major form builders are actively maintained.

In short, the massive number of websites running on WordPress gives you confidence that you are building on a platform with deep support, tools, and knowledge.

Should You Choose WordPress Because So Many Websites Use It?

Popularity alone should not be the only factor in picking a platform, but it does matter.

• Choose WordPress if you want flexibility, control over your hosting, and access to a huge plugin and theme ecosystem.
• Consider a simpler website builder (like Squarespace or Wix) if you want minimal setup and fewer technical decisions, even though they power far fewer sites than WordPress.
• If you run a store, remember that WooCommerce (built on WordPress) is also one of the most widely used ecommerce solutions, which makes it easy to find help and integrations.

For most bloggers, small businesses, and growing content sites, the fact that so many websites use WordPress is a strong vote of confidence.

Conclusion: How Many Websites Use WordPress Today?

So, how many websites use WordPress?

• Roughly 43% of all websites on the internet run on WordPress.
• That is around 60% of sites that use a known CMS.
• In raw terms, that translates to hundreds of millions of WordPress sites worldwide.

The exact number changes from month to month, but the direction is clear: WordPress remains the most popular way to build a website. If you choose it for your own project, you are joining one of the largest and most active ecosystems in the web’s history.

Frequently Asked Questions About How Many Websites Use WordPress