19 Surprising Linux Statistics Not Everyone Knew

Linux powers nearly 97% of the top web servers in the world, which signifies this kernel’s popularity. Twitter, Yahoo, Amazon, and eBay are just a few websites using this operating system. 

For some, Linux may appear unfamiliar, but it is responsible for far more worldwide technology than most people realize. Linux is now open-source, meaning that anyone can use and alter the code, and most Linux versions are free to download.

This is a must-read article if you are looking for some surprising and significant Linux statistics in 2023.

How Popular is Linux? 

On a worldwide scale, India, Cuba, and Russia are the countries that prefer Linux. It is most prevalent in Utah and California, both in the US.

With a 3.52% market share for desktop operating systems, statistics on Linux users suggest that India is one of the top three Linux-using nations. In December 2022, Linux had an 8.51% market share in the Indian desktop OS market.

This article will walk you through what you need to know about Linux statistics, such as market share statistics, server usage statistics, and user demographic statistics. 

Linux Market Share Statistics

The global Linux market is worth $3.89 billion. Still, it is expected to grow more in the following years. Linux ranks last on the list compared to Windows and macOS. Nonetheless, this solid operating system has a user base that has grown steadily over the last two decades. 

Amazon Web Services, Alibaba Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform are public cloud service providers that employ Linux.

This part of the article will dive into Linux market share statistics from the past few years up to the current trend. 

1. Statista states that Linux is the third most popular desktop operating system, with a 2.09% market share.

(TrueList)

Windows has a server market share of 73.72%, making it the most popular desktop operating system worldwide. Apple's Mac has been gaining ground recently, although it is still a minor participant with 15.33% of the market. 

Linux is the third most popular desktop operating system, and many users prefer it for its stability.

2. The Steam Survey shows that Linux has a 0.84% market share in desktop gaming compared to 1.41% for macOS and 97.75% for Windows.

(ItsFOSS)

In November 2022, Linux had a Steam score of 1.44% compared to macOS's 2.45% and Windows' 96.11%.

SteamOS 3 is currently the most widely used method for playing games on a Linux system. It is a Linux-based operating system that was explicitly created for usage with Steam and Steam games.

3. The global Linux market will reach $15.64 billion by 2027.

(EnterpriseAppsToday)

According to Fortune Business Insights, the Linux market share is expanding at a pace of 19.2% due to server growth and internet penetration. Many industries, including IT, healthcare, and manufacturing, are migrating to Linux, impacting market size.

4. The global Linux market is expected to increase by almost $17 billion in 5 years.

(Fortune Business Insights)

The 2022 global Linux operating system market was valued at over $6 billion. The market is expected to increase from $6.27 billion in 2022 to $22.15 billion by 2029. 

This data is strong proof that the popularity of Linux is increasing as the year goes by, preferred mainly by developers and their software.

5. Ubuntu controls 33.9% of the Linux market.

(EnterpriseAppsToday)

According to the most recent Linux distro data, these are the three most popular; Ubuntu has 32.8%, Debian has 14.4%, and CentOS has 10.8%. 

The Linux operating system, Ubuntu, powers over a quarter of all websites. Over 600 Linux distributions are available, and Debian is the most popular.

6. In 2019, Linux held 13.6% of the worldwide server market.

(EnterpriseAppsToday)

Windows has a market share advantage in the Linux vs. Windows server industry. Windows offers incredible usability so that even non-techies can operate it, while Linux gives excellent speed and security.

However, in 2018 and 2019, both had comparable growth rates. Windows went from 71.9% to 72.1%, while Linux-based servers increased from 12.9% to 13.6%.

Linux server usage statistics

Many enterprises, organizations, state institutions, and even entire governments believe in  Linux’s powers. 

According to operating system usage statistics, Android holds 40.47% of the global market share for operating systems, closely followed by Windows with 34.2%. iOS takes the third spot with 14.92%, while Linux accounts for a smaller share of only 0.83%.

Interestingly, Android devices comprise 85% of all smartphones worldwide and run on the Linux operating system. This means that Linux is the preferred choice for most smartphones today.

This section will discuss Linux server usage statistics trends over the past few years.

7. Nearly 50% of professional developers preferred Linux.

(TrueList)

According to Statista, Linux-based operating systems are used by 47% of professional developers. The Unix-like system is flexible, enabling programmers to alter the OS according to their needs. The accessibility of compilers or interpreters is the main factor influencing Linux's popularity, which Windows does not have.

Windows is the preferred operating system for 61% of those polled, while MacOS is used by 44% of professional developers. Only 3% of developers use the Windows Subsystem for Linux, while 1% use other operating systems.

8. According to server statistics, Linux powers over 90% of the top one million web servers.

(TrueList)    

With almost 100% of the top one million web servers running Linux, the internet population increasingly relies on Linux. 

The remainder is split between Windows with 1.9% and FreeBSD with 1.8%. FreeBSD is an operating system that runs on modern servers, desktop computers, and embedded platforms.

9. The most recent Linux statistics show that 65 SpaceX flights were completed using Linux-powered technology.

(Kommando Tech)

Linux is widely used in various other software and hardware settings. Automotive Grade Linux, a project created for carmakers, suppliers, and technology companies, accounts for 60% of auto shipments.

This system is responsible for up to 90% of special effects in movies, including the world's most successful series, such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter.

10. Linux controls 42% of the global market for online usage.

(Wikipedia)

When measured by web usage, Android is the world's most popular operating system as of April 2023.  Android's popularity is primarily due to the affordable price of its gadgets, with millions of mobile devices running on this operating system.

It has 42% of the global market, followed by Windows with 28%, iOS with 17%, macOS with 7%, ChromeOS with 1.3%, and desktop Linux with 1.2%, all of which use the Linux kernel.

11. Linux powers 85% of smartphones.

(EnterpriseAppsToday)

Android is the most prevalent smartphone operating system, powering 85% of these smartphones. They are built with the Linux kernel. Android accounted for 44.86% of the mobile OS market. Since its introduction in Android 11, the platform's dominance has been maintained via Linux Kernel Longterm Support.

12. The Linux kernel's Git repository has around 27.8 million lines of code.

(Phoronix)

The number of files in the Git repository increased from 26.1 million a year ago. At the same time, Systemd now has nearly 1.3 million lines of code.  

Contrary to popular belief, suppliers rarely simultaneously use all the lines on all devices. One advantage of open-source is that anyone can take what they need.

13. Linux is used by 0.44% of Steam users.

(EnterpriseAppsToday)

Despite the dominance of Windows among gamers, recent figures show Steam using Linux as an alternative. About supported games, around 4,000 Linux users used Linux in 2018. Linux Mint has 0.6% of the market, while most users use Ubuntu with 0.18%.

14. Red Hat Enterprise Linux controls 33.9% of the global server operating environment market.

(Truelist)

It provides support and power for software and technologies used in automation, cloud, containers, middleware, storage, application development, microservices, virtualization, and management.

According to Linux server statistics, the number of subscriptions to this service increased by 14.1% in 2018. Paid subscriptions also accounted for more than 51% of commercial server operating system deployments over the same period.

Linux User Demographic Statistics

Over 80% of its population comprises male administrators. Linux-based operating systems were used by over 40% of these developers, both for personal and professional purposes. 

According to the Stack Overflow poll, 40.23% of developers use the Linux-based operating system for personal usage, and 39.89% use it for professional use.

To be more specific, I discuss these demographic statistics in this section. Read on to learn more.

15. Around 30,711 Linux administrators work in the US.

(Zippia)

Women comprise 12.7% of all Linux administrators, whereas 87.3% are men. LGBT people make up 9% of all Linux administrators. The average age of a Linux administrator in this gender ratio is 43 years old. 

Interestingly, most Linux administrators are over 40, representing the population's average age. This can result from factors such as Linux qualification in their educational background and years of related experiences.

16. Women made up 9.9% of the Linux kernel Git population.

(TrueList)

According to the most recent data, nearly 10% of the Linux community is made up of women, which equates to around 330 female developers. The ratio of female Linux users accounts for 6.8% of kernel activity or roughly 4,000 commits. 

Additionally, women could earn 95% of what men make in 2021. This data shows that only a few women dominated the role of Linux administrator over time. 

17. In 2016, women comprised 10.5% of the developer population. 

(Webtribunal)

Women make between 3% and 10% of Linux kernel merge requests. It is also reported that women make up 5% of Ubuntu users.

Like men, women have made substantial contributions to the Linux kernel. Even though women have traditionally been underappreciated in the tech sector, it is vital to recognize their essential contributions to Linux.

18. Over 60% of UNIX/Linux administrators are White.     

(Zippia)

With 61.2% of all administrators being White, this is the most frequent ethnicity among Unix and Linux administrators.  

In total, 13.9% of the population is Asian, 11.7% is Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% is Black American, 5.0% is unknown ethnicity, and the remaining 0.2% is American Indian or Alaska Native.

19. There are about two million Ubuntu websites in the US. 

(EnterpriseAppsToday)

According to Linux statistics, 66% of users use the operating system for data management. Ubuntu ensures Linux users have the speed and simplicity they desire. 

English is the primary language of 59% of users, with Spanish coming in at 7%. With 256.845 German websites, Germany is the second-largest user of Ubuntu. 

Conclusion 

Windows controls over 80% of the global OS market, followed by macOS.  Linux ranks last on the list but is one of the world's most powerful operating systems.

Many developers and programs rely on Linux, including smartphones, space stations, and software. Despite the complexity of the operating system, Linux is popular among developers. Since its inception, Linux has evolved into a formidable force in the industry.