Web Ecosystem Statistics
Research updated for 2026
Two questions that sound simple and are not: how big is the web, and how many people build it.
Both have headline answers that are widely repeated and considerably less meaningful than they appear, because the definitions do most of the work. These pages cover what the numbers count and what they leave out.
How many websites are there on the internet?
The headline count of websites is far larger than the number anyone actually visits. This covers total sites, total domains, and how many are estimated to be genuinely active rather than parked.
Web developer workforce and salary statistics
Developer population estimates swing wildly depending on who counts as a developer. This covers US employment and pay from official statistics, plus why global figures vary so much.
These are the widest-angle pages here. For what running a site costs, see cost research. For which platforms hold the market, see market share research. If you are budgeting a build rather than researching the market, the website ROI calculator works out whether a project returns more than it costs. Return to all research.