WordPress Celebrates 18th Anniversary ( Status and Prospects of WordPress )
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WordPress is celebrating its 18th anniversary on May 27, 2021, and we have compiled a summary of the status and prospects of WordPress while looking at statistics about WordPress. Let's look back at WordPress, the CMS that is used in many websites.
The 18th birthday of WordPress
The birthday of WordPress is May 27, 2003, when the first version, WordPress 0.7, was released.
It turned 18 years old on May 27, 2021, after it was first released.
If you want to know more about the release dates for each version, please see the following article.
WordPress Version List (Release Date/Code Name)
Are there any events for the 18th anniversary?
For the 10th anniversary, there was a large birthday event; for the 18th anniversary, no significant event has been held so far.
Let’s celebrate the 20th anniversary in a big way.
Status and Prospects of WordPress
We will analyze the current situation by looking at the statistics about WordPress. It also introduces the future roadmap announced by WordPress.org.
Status
Used in 41.6% of web and 64.9% of CMS
According to W3Techs.com, WordPress is used by 41.6% of all websites; it holds a 64.9% share of the CMS market (as of May 28, 2021).
Trends in WordPress usage and market share since 2011 are shown below.
Date | WordPress Usage (All websites) | Market share of WordPress (CMS) |
---|---|---|
January 1, 2011 | 13.1% | 55.3% |
January 1, 2012 | 15.8% | 54.3% |
January 1, 2013 | 17.4% | 54.8% |
January 1, 2014 | 21.0% | 59.8% |
January 1, 2015 | 23.3% | 60.7% |
January 1, 2016 | 25.6% | 58.8% |
January 1, 2017 | 27.3% | 58.5% |
January 1, 2018 | 29.2% | 60.0% |
January 1, 2019 | 32.7% | 59.7% |
January 1, 2020 | 35.4% | 62.1% |
January 1, 2021 | 39.5% | 64.1% |
May 28, 2021 | 41.6% | 64.9% |
The day is not far off when WordPress will be used more than 50% of all websites.
If the rate increases by 3% per year, it will exceed 50% by 2025.
Over 58,000 plugins
As of May 28, 2021, 58,633 plug-ins have been registered in the official directory.
Plugins can easily add a variety of functions by simply installing and enabling them. Look for the features you want.
Over 8,000 themes
As of May 28, 2021, 8,371 themes have been registered in the official directory.
There are many themes available so you can create a design of your choice.
There are a variety of themes available outside of the official directory. Here are some recommended themes.
Best Free Themes for WordPress (By Usage)
Recommend Premium Themes for WordPress (By Usage)
Over 40% of users use the latest version
According to WordPress.org’s Statistics, over 40% of users are using the latest WordPress 5.7.
Updating to the latest version will enhance security and allow you to use new features.
Future Outlook
Roadmap for 2021
This is the release schedule for the currently planned version. It is still in the planning stage and is subject to change.
Version | Release schedule |
---|---|
5.8 | July 2021 |
5.9 | December 2021 |
The big major upgrade, 6.0, is expected to be in 2022 or later.
End of support for IE 11
It has been announced that IE 11 support will be discontinued in WordPress 5.8.
It is recommended that you use a browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
WordPress Decides to End Support for Internet Explorer 11
Full site editing implemented
Full site editing is a feature that allows you to edit all parts of your site in a block editor.
You will be able to use it by installing WordPress 5.8 or later, or a theme that supports full site editing.
What is Full Site Editing in WordPress?
Debating whether to disable FLoC
Google is planning to introduce FLoC, which has raised concerns about privacy, and WordPress is considering whether to disable FLoC by default.
If you want to disable FLoC by yourself, please refer to the following article.
How to disable FLoC in WordPress