60+ Linux Statistics and Facts – Linux Rocks!

Back in the year 1991, Linus Torvalds walked into a bar.

He saw a lonesome cowboy about to mercilessly dig into a bowl of kernels.

The cowboy said:

Mmmmm, those kernels are the best…

And that’s how a new operating system was born.

Not with 10,239 lines of code but with a kernel.

True story!

Now, a lot (seriously!) can be said about Linux statistics.

And today, we will lead you through most of what there is to know about Linux.

If you are neither a programmer nor a techie, chances are that Linux seems strangely unfamiliar to you.

The thing is:

Linux powers much more of the global technology than most people give it credit for.

AND it is one of the most powerful operating systems in the world!

While one of the most powerful operating systems in the world sits at 4.54% of desktops…

How come?

Well, if we look at the surface, here is what we’re going to see:

In September 2026, 4.54% of worldwide desktop operating system usage was Linux, per StatCounter. That is up from 2.76% in July 2022.
In August 2022, 71.85% of all mobile devices ran on Android, which is built on the Linux kernel. Android share is a separate measure from Linux desktop share, and our Android statistics cover it properly.

Now, that’s what the everyday user sees.

What’s all the fuss, then?

Here are some stats that may change your mind:

Mind-blowing Linux Statistics (Editor’s Choice):

Every one of the world’s top 500 supercomputers has run Linux continuously since November 2017.
Linux accounted for 4.54% of worldwide desktop OS usage in September 2026, and runs 62.6% of the websites whose operating system is known.
96.3% of the world’s top one million servers run on Linux.
90% of all cloud infrastructure operates on Linux, which is worth reading beside our cloud computing statistics, and practically all the best cloud hosts use it.

Pretty impressive, isn’t it? Windows might dominate the game on home computers, but Windows hosting can’t even get close to Linux.

Now, if you wish to learn more about Linux and not ask questions like “Linux who?”, this is the perfect opportunity to fill the gap with some Linux usage statistics.

Let’s start with the basics:

What Exactly Is Linux?

Linux is an operating system. Just like Windows 10 or Mac OS. It manages the hardware resources that are on your device.

Easy-peasy!

Linux is also the name of a large family of open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. There are Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, Manjaro, Debian… the list goes on.

Not many people know that all of the world’s supercomputers, which happen to make major scientific breakthroughs, run on Linux.

As we’ve already mentioned, the creator of the original Linux code is Linus Torvalds.

He is a tech VIP, but we’ll get to that later. For now, let’s just say he was born in Finland and has an asteroid named after him. Yup, the 9793 Torvalds asteroid…

Now, if you are asking yourself:

How many people use Linux in 2022?

Many, including yours truly Web Tribunal, reside on Linux-powered web servers.

There are lots of Linux facts and stats coming your way.

Here we go.

Latest Linux Statistics For 2022

How about we start with some key facts about Linux:

Linux was launched on September 17, 1991.
Linux accounted for 4.54% of worldwide desktop operating system usage in September 2026, against 76.36% for Windows and about 16.8% for Apple across StatCounter’s two macOS rows. Across all device types it is 1.73%. StatCounter briefly misclassified a large share of desktop traffic in mid-2026, which inflated the Linux figure before the data was revised; these are the corrected numbers.
In 2018, the market share of Linux in India was 3.97%.
Linux has run on 100% of the world’s top 500 supercomputers continuously since November 2017.
In 2022, the number of Linux games available on Steam reached 9200.
19.5% of the global infotainment operating market in 2017 belonged to Linux.
95% of the servers that run the world’s top one million domains are powered by Linux.
Android held 71.85% of the mobile OS market in 2022. Android is built on the Linux kernel, but Android mobile share and Linux desktop share are different measures and are kept separate throughout this page.

Yes, but what exactly does Android have to do with Linux?

Well… Android is the world’s most used operating system, right?

Its developers based it on a modified version of the Linux kernel.

That’s why we can say that four out of five smartphones worldwide operate on Linux.

Speaking of smartphones, the Ubuntu Touch looks pretty amazing nowadays, don’t you think?

Linux server usage has been going strong in recent years. They are freely available as their open-source nature allows for free usage and modifications.

However, the impact of Linux doesn’t stop here.

Oh no!

Supercomputers also run on Linux… all of them!

In 2022, there was not one supercomputer that ran on another OS.

(So, if you are planning on buying a supercomputer on Amazon to achieve world domination over the world, keep reading our Linux statistics. They’ll certainly help. Remember that you’ll also need around $100 million to purchase one and another $9 million per year for the electric bills. No biggie.)

Linux Usage Statistics—Who Can’t Live Without Penguins

Now, tech professionals love Linux. It is one of the most popular operating systems among developers.

Let’s see how much exactly:

39.89% of professional developers used Linux in 2022.
62.6% of the websites whose operating system is known run Linux, against 8.1% on Windows, as of September 30, 2026. W3Techs updates daily, so this figure drifts. Our web hosting statistics cover the market those servers sit in.
83.1% of developers say Linux is the platform they prefer to work on.
As of 2017, more than 15,637 developers from 1,513 companies had contributed to the Linux kernel code since its creation.

Before we go on, did you know that:

The Linux penguin was created in 1996 by Larry Ewing.

But did you know that his name is Tux? And that it’s short for a tuxedo?

The idea to have a penguin mascot came from Torvalds himself.

OK, enough penguin talk.

Linux Demographics—Is Linux Hip

Like in any other field, women have also contributed significantly to the Linux kernel. Let’s see how much:

10.5% of the developer population in 2016 were women.
9% of the Linux kernel Git population are women.
Women make 3%-10% of the Linux kernel merge requests.
5% of Ubuntu’s users are women.

Now, Linux is open-source – everyone can use and modify the code.

AND most Linux versions are free to download.

Add its functionality to the pile, and voilà!

Next!

Linux Usage by Field

As they say nowadays:

A world without Linux is hard to imagine.

Here is why:

Linux is the largest open-source project – in 2018, there were more than 27 million lines in the Linux kernel code.
Every major space program uses Linux, including one of the SpaceX vehicles, Falcon 9. Their software runs on Linux, and the language of choice is C++.
96.3% of the world’s top one million servers run on Linux. Only 1.9% use Windows, and 1.8% use FreeBSD.
Linux has great applications for personal and small business financial management. GnuCash and HomeBank are the most popular ones.

In 1997, the special effects for the blockbuster Titanic were made on Linux. And that was just the big breakthrough.

Since then, well…

In Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers, the “10,000 strong” that Aragorn announces to the King in the Battle of Helm’s Deep are created digitally by Linux.

Yoda, the lightsaber-wielding figure – Linux-made!

Yup!

Linux stands behind the creation of some of the world’s most iconic motion pictures.

Let’s see:

Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Shrek, Titanic, the list goes on…

Some of those movies won Oscars for visual effects.

So, we may say that Linux is an Oscar winner.

Well done, Linux!

Who Adopted Linux and Why?

The area of application of Linux has expanded greatly in the last 15 years.

Linux has even become the national OS in certain countries.

This may seem a little far-fetched at first, but it’s actually a lot closer to the truth than you’d think.

Here are some interesting facts about Linux adoption that may surprise you:

Companies that Use Linux

Amazon Web Services is a leading cloud platform that helps millions of customers power their infrastructure.
Every Android smartphone works on the Linux kernel. 75.16% of all smartphones in the world ran on Android in 2018.
Sony PlayStation 4 runs on Orbis OS, developed on a Linux-based kernel.
In 2019, IBM is in the process of acquiring Red Hat Enterprise Linux. An IDC report states that Red Hat is expected to contribute $10 trillion to the global economy.

It is not only companies that are interested in Linux. How about entire countries?

Governments that Rely on Linux

Here are some of the local distributions based on the Linux kernel:

China has its own Linux OS, called Ubuntu Kylin.
The Turkish government has been using a Linux-based OS called Pardus since 2005.
The Russian government uses Astra Linux.
In 2001, the White House moved to a Red Hat-based OS.
The Austrian capital of Vienna has adopted a Debian-based OS, called Wienux.
In 2004, the government of Venezuela adopted a Debian-based OS, called Canaima.

Governments are migrating to Linux because they consider Windows to be unreliable and a spyware tool.

Security is paramount for every company, organization, or government, which fears (or has already suffered from) a data breach.

Many military establishments prefer Linux over every other OS. Most of them decide to do so to avoid contributing to the biggest data breaches statistics.

Military… security… you get the picture.

Military Linux

Here are just a couple of examples that will show us how important Linux is on a military level:

The US Department of Defense migrated to Linux in 2007 because of its higher level of security and lighter software.
The US Navy’s warships have used Red Hat-based Linux software since 2013.
The French Police switched half of its PCs to Linux in 2013 with the intention to migrate all 72,000 PCs to Linux in the near future.
The Dutch Police internet forensics switched to Linux desktops in 2003. In 2013, they were already using Ubuntu.

Linux adoption is becoming more and more popular in many fields.

Banks Using Linux

Banking institutions are no exceptions when it comes to using Linux. Let’s have a closer look:

In 2005, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China switched to Linux as a strategy to avoid piracy.
In 2007, the Union Bank of California started using a Red Hat-based OS in order to lower costs.
In 2002, the Bank of Brazil migrated their desktops and servers, as well as all their ATMs, to Linux.

Linux has definitely made its contributions to the world of banking. In terms of security, Linux beats both Microsoft and Apple software.

Top Linux Distros

While the progeny of Linux are numerous, there are those among them who have certainly impacted global technologies.

We’ll start with everyone’s favorite:

Ubuntu Statistics, 2022

Ubuntu is one of the golden children of Linux. You can think of it as somewhat akin to everyone’s favorite Olympian god – the golden-haired, pretty boy with the golden bow and arrow – Apollo.

Unlike Apollo, though, Ubuntu is totally orange-purple…

Which is kind of cool!

Let’s peek behind the curtain of some key Ubuntu stats and facts:

Ubuntu’s first version, Ubuntu 4.10, was released on October 20, 2004
Ubuntu has been free to use since its launch.
The US is the country with the most Ubuntu users in 2022.
About 1,521,216 websites in the US run on Ubuntu. The next leading country is Russia, with 204,977. These come from a live tracker, so treat them as approximate.

The latest version is Ubuntu 22.04 LTS “Jammy Jellyfish.” Let’s see what it brings to the table:

It was launched on April 21, 2022.
It’s based on GNOME 42 desktop environment.
Ubuntu 22.04 uses Linux Kernel 5.4.
It offers an amazing responsive desktop experience, the switch between applications happens super fast, and people say it provides an excellent UX.
It will reach the end of life in April, 2027.

Dingo? Penguin? Jellyfish?

What’s not to love?

Did you know:

Ubuntu was named after an African culture of human solidarity. It is an African philosophy based on the capacity to show compassion and create harmony.

(AND if you pronounce ubuntu with a Japanese accent – it sounds like a Japanese swear word… right?)

If you want more in-depth look, we have collected the most interesting Ubuntu usage statistics here.

Now, let’s have a look at the other outstanding kids in the Linux family:

Linux Mint Stats and Facts

In 2019 Linux Mint surpassed Ubuntu in popularity, and it’s now the main Linux competitor of Windows 10 and MacOS.

Let’s check out some Linux Mint facts:

The initial release of Linux Mint took place on August 26, 2006.
Each version of Linux Mint receives a code name that is always female and also always ends in “a.”
The first version of Linux Mint was called 1.0 Ada and was based on Kubuntu 6.06.
Since the 2012 Maya, each version comes in three or four editions: Cinnamon, KDE, MATE, and Xfce.
All Linux Mint versions since the 2013 Olivia are based on Ubuntu.
Some of the best features of Linux Mint Tessa include low memory usage and a faster software manager.

Linux Mint and Ubuntu are the most popular Linux distributions.

Everyone in the Linux kernel family supports each other.

Here comes another rock star:

Manjaro

According to the DistroWatch Linux Hit Ranking statistics, Manjaro will be in the Top 3 in the next 12 months.

The initial release of Manjaro took place on July 10, 2011.
It is free to use as open-source, which is based on Arch Linux.
Users say Manjaro is an excellent choice for both beginners and professionals.

Next comes Harrison Ford’s hat in Indiana Jones…

Fedora

Well, not so much a hat as a Linux family member. And an awesome one as well:

Fedora’s initial release, (Fedora Yarrow), took place on November 5, 2003. It was based on Linux Kernel 2.4.22, and GNOME 2.4.
Red Hat sponsors the Fedora Project.
The current version is Fedora 36, which was released on May 10, 2022.
Fedora 36 has five separate versions—Fedora Workstation and Fedora Server are the main iterations, supported by Silverblue, CoreOS, and IoT distro.
It uses the Linux Kernel 5.17 and GNOME 42.

Fedora is an old family member but not as ancient as the next one.

Debian

Debian is one of the oldest children in the Linux family. Some even call it “grandpa Linux.”

It is also one of the longest-standing Linux distros:

The release of Debian was as far back as September 1993.
It is available in 75 languages.
Debian was one of the first GNU/Linux that was organized by developers.
It serves as a framework for Ubuntu and Linux Mint, Knoppix, and Xandros.
In mid-2019, there will be a new version arriving – Debian 10 Buster.

Many Linux distros are based on Debian. As of 2018, DistroWatch listed 141 active Debian derivatives. Not bad for an old man.

MX Linux

MX Linux is one of the most popular Linux distributions.

The initial release of MX Linux took place on March 24, 2014.
MX Linux is based on Debian stable.

Now you know which are the most outstanding members of the Linux family.

Top Corporate Contributors to Linux Kernel

A growing number of companies are working towards the development of the Linux Kernel.

Here are the biggest corporate contributors to Linux:

Red Hat is the first billion-dollar open-source company.
In 2016, 3.6% of the Linux kernel was contributed by Samsung.
Linaro contributed 5.6% to the Linux code up to 2017.

Microsoft used to be one of the major contributors to the code.

Well, times change.

Next!

LOC and Version Statistics

In 1991, Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel.

(And due to the similarity between “Linux” and “Linus,” we bet that sentence is fun to say out loud. Go ahead and try it. I’ll wait.)

Now, let’s see some Linux kernel lines of code (LOC) stats and release information:

The first version of Linux had 10,239 LOC.
A new version of the Linux kernel is released every 60-77 days.

Now that we know how much the Linux kernel code has grown over the years, let’s move on and have a look at the top Linux operating systems.

Which Are the Most Used Linux Applications?

Linux is awesome, and so are its applications. There is no telling how many there are, but at least we can list the most frequently used ones:

Rsync – open-source backup tool.
Dropbox – cloud storage.
Google Drive….more storage.
Aria2 – download manager.
Thunderbird – email platform.
GnuCash – finance software.

And last but not least, let’s pay homage to the man that gave Linux to the world.

Linus Torvalds Facts

In the tech industry, his name comes alongside those of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

Those guys changed the face of technology forever.

You already know about the asteroid 9793 Torvalds, named after him.

But what else?

Let’s see:

Linus Torvalds was born on December 28, 1969, in Helsinki, Finland.
He wrote 100% of the first version of Linux, which represents around 1% of the present-day code.
He almost named his project “FreaX” instead of “Linux”… So now, instead of a combination of the words “free,” “freak,” and “Unix,” we are enjoying a combination of the Trovald’s given name and “Unix.”
In 1999, MIT proclaimed him one of the top innovators under 35.
In 2001, Steve Jobs offered Torvalds a job at Apple, but he refused.
He has a soft spot for scuba surfing. He is the creator of a platform called Scubaserfice that can create a scuba diving planner for you.
Linus Torvalds created the version control system Git in 2005.
Among other things, he has undergone military training and is a Second Lieutenant.

As advertised – he is awesome!

Recap

Linux is considered a part of the Holy Trinity of global operating systems, along with Windows and MacOS.

Today we saw more than 110 Linux facts and stats, which have probably changed your mind about the importance of Linux in global technology.

Bottom line:

Linux is a major contributor to the world of technology. That’s why Linux statistics matter.

See you next time, guys!