Curious to know the latest market share percentage for Linux desktop? You don't have to do the research, we've done it for you.
Every year, we discuss the year of the Linux desktop. It can’t be helped when we see an increase in the operating system’s market share in the consumer space.
Of course, Linux dominates the entire cloud industry (Web host, cloud computing, data warehouse, etc.). Here, we focus only on the desktop Linux market share.
If you’re new to the Linux world, Linux is not an operating system; it is a kernel. But, we tend to term “Linux” as an OS to keep things simple.
You can learn what Linux is in our explainer article.
Abhishek Prakash
One day, we hope that Linux distributions will dominate the desktop operating market share in the future. But what do the current trends say? Is it the year of the Linux desktop yet?
The trends change every month. Last year, Linux had a better grip over the market share compared to this year. So, it is vital to track the latest reports.
Here, we try to keep track of the latest trends in the form of monthly updated reports from different sources.
Operating System Market Share: December 2024
We update the available information every month.
Among the desktop operating systems available (Windows, macOS, and Linux), Linux usually tends to occupy the third position overall.
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Some of the latest stats include:
- Statcounter: Linux occupies 4.03% of the market share, compared to 15.39% for macOS, and 72.96% for Windows.
- Steam Survey: In terms of desktop gaming, Linux has a market share of 2.03% (Arch Linux, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint as the top three) when compared to 1.41% for macOS and 96.56% for Windows.
- Statista (last updated on Jan. 2023): The Linux desktop market share was 2.76% compared to 14.55% for macOS, and 70.39% for Windows.
- Stack Overflow Survey: Among the developers who participate in the Stack Overflow survey 2024,
- 27.7% of users use the Ubuntu operating system for personal use, and 27.7% use it for professional use.
- 9.8% of users use the Debian operating system for personal use, and 9.1% use it for professional use.
- You can view the detailed stats on the official website. Furthermore, the stats for Linux-based distributions are briefly given on the chart.
Every source utilizes a different method of data collection. The market share constantly changes, so we update this report regularly instead of making separate posts on slight changes to the market share.
Overall, it looks like Linux as a desktop operating system is popular among developers and is eventually influencing gamers and other consumers as an alternative operating system.
If you are curious to see a timeline of stats and the market share history, here's a visual and PDF attached below that:
What do you think about the trends? Do you see Linux overtaking macOS in terms of desktop market share? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
