--- title: PHP version stats: July, 2026 | daily.dev description: PHP version usage statistics for July 2026 based on Packagist ecosystem data. PHP 8.4 leads with 32% usage share, while PHP 8.5 reached 16% adoption six months... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/php-version-stats-july-2026-cevzmnzrv twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: PHP version stats: July, 2026 | daily.dev og:description: PHP version usage statistics for July 2026 based on Packagist ecosystem data. PHP 8.4 leads with 32% usage share, while PHP 8.5 reached 16% adoption six months... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/php-version-stats-july-2026-cevzmnzrv og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/CevZMNZrv.png og:image:alt: PHP version stats: July, 2026 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # PHP version stats: July, 2026 **[stitcher.io](https://daily.dev/sources/stitcher)** · 4 min read · 7 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary PHP version usage statistics for July 2026 based on Packagist ecosystem data. PHP 8.4 leads with 32% usage share, while PHP 8.5 reached 16% adoption six months after release — slightly below historical averages. Among the top 1000 Packagist packages, only 352 require a PHP version still receiving security updates, and just 113 require an actively supported version. The post calls on open source maintainers to raise minimum PHP version requirements to at least security-supported versions. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How many of the top 1000 Packagist packages still require a PHP version that receives security updates? Only 352 out of the 1000 most popular Packagist packages require a minimum PHP version that still receives any security updates, and only 113 out of 1000 require a version that is actively supported with bugfixes (PHP 8.4 or 8.5). Anything under PHP 8.2 is no longer supported at all, yet the majority of packages still allow it as a minimum. _Track which PHP versions your dependencies actually require before you get stuck on an unsupported release, with daily.dev._ ### What percentage of PHP installs were running PHP 8.5 six months after its release? PHP 8.5 usage reached 16% of installs by July 2026, six months after its release, according to Packagist ecosystem statistics. That is slower than prior versions at the same six-month mark: PHP 8.1 reached 25%, PHP 8.3 reached 20%, and PHP 8.2 reached 17%, making 8.5 one of the slower-adopted recent releases. _Compare PHP 8.5 adoption against past releases before deciding when to plan an upgrade, with daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [PHP support clarification, spring 2026 edition](https://daily.dev/posts/php-support-clarification-spring-2026-edition-vydiinxqh) · Make WordPress Core · 5 upvotes · 1 comments - [PHP powers most of the web, so why aren’t new developers learning it?](https://daily.dev/posts/php-powers-most-of-the-web-so-why-aren-t-new-developers-learning-it--vetklkvqo) · All Things Open · 77 upvotes · 17 comments - [Who will maintain the web when PHP’s veterans retire?](https://daily.dev/posts/who-will-maintain-the-web-when-php-s-veterans-retire--a4hytpoqs) · The New Stack · 61 upvotes · 21 comments - [PHP: PHP 8.5.7 Release Announcement](https://daily.dev/posts/php-php-8-5-7-release-announcement-vdjep6nni) · PHP · 42 upvotes · 3 comments --- Tags: [#php](https://daily.dev/tags/php) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/php-version-stats-july-2026-cevzmnzrv) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"PHP version stats: July, 2026","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/php-version-stats-july-2026-cevzmnzrv","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/php-version-stats-july-2026-cevzmnzrv"},"datePublished":"2026-07-09T14:27:22.175Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T06:59:41.629Z","description":"PHP version usage statistics for July 2026 based on Packagist ecosystem data. PHP 8.4 leads with 32% usage share, while PHP 8.5 reached 16% adoption six months...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/8ae75ade6d9e7d6c438d57caf3bbc736?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/8ae75ade6d9e7d6c438d57caf3bbc736?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"stitcher.io","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"stitcher.io","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/83a32fc89f9943f38951a2b360c0d3ec","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/stitcher"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/php-version-stats-july-2026-cevzmnzrv","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":7},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"php","timeRequired":"PT4M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"stitcher.io","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/stitcher"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"PHP version stats: July, 2026"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/php-version-stats-july-2026-cevzmnzrv#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How many of the top 1000 Packagist packages still require a PHP version that receives security updates?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Only 352 out of the 1000 most popular Packagist packages require a minimum PHP version that still receives any security updates, and only 113 out of 1000 require a version that is actively supported with bugfixes (PHP 8.4 or 8.5). Anything under PHP 8.2 is no longer supported at all, yet the majority of packages still allow it as a minimum. Track which PHP versions your dependencies actually require before you get stuck on an unsupported release, with daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What percentage of PHP installs were running PHP 8.5 six months after its release?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"PHP 8.5 usage reached 16% of installs by July 2026, six months after its release, according to Packagist ecosystem statistics. That is slower than prior versions at the same six-month mark: PHP 8.1 reached 25%, PHP 8.3 reached 20%, and PHP 8.2 reached 17%, making 8.5 one of the slower-adopted recent releases. Compare PHP 8.5 adoption against past releases before deciding when to plan an upgrade, with daily.dev."}}]} ```