How many desktop computers run Linux?

Linux runs a small share of desktop computers, but a growing one. Worldwide in September 2026 it ran 4.54 percent ¹ of the desktop computers that loaded pages tracked by StatCounter. In January 2019 the same reading was 1.78 percent ¹. The data covers desktops and laptops, not phones or tablets, and it does not count Android, which is a separate measure.

India has the highest Linux share, and Germany comes next

Among the nine regions in the data (the world, the United States, Europe, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, India and Brazil), India is far ahead at 10.52 percent ². Germany follows at 6.46 percent ³, then Japan at 5.39 percent ⁴.

Europe as a whole sits at 4.58 percent ⁵, close to the world figure, and France at 4.44 percent ⁶. Brazil is at 4.13 percent ⁷. The lowest readings are in the United States at 3.69 percent ⁸ and the United Kingdom at 3.53 percent ⁹.

Linux has grown in every region since 2019

Every region in the data shows a higher Linux share in September 2026 than in January 2019. These are the first and last readings in each series of 93 monthly readings:

• India: from 4.93 percent to 10.52 percent ².
• Germany: from 3.63 percent to 6.46 percent ³.
• Japan: from 0.72 percent to 5.39 percent ⁴, the steepest rise in relative terms.
• Brazil: from 1.08 percent to 4.13 percent ⁷.
• United States: from 1.45 percent to 3.69 percent ⁸.
• United Kingdom: from 1.38 percent to 3.53 percent ⁹.
• Europe and France: Europe from 2.16 percent to 4.58 percent ⁵, and France from 1.78 percent to 4.44 percent ⁶.

Windows lost share in most of these regions over the same period, so part of the Linux gain comes at its expense. Our page on Mac versus Windows share covers that side.

What these numbers do and do not measure

The figures are shares of page views, not of devices or people. Someone who browses all day counts more than someone who browses an hour a week, and the sites in StatCounter's network are not a random sample of the web. Single months can swing by several points, so read the direction over years rather than any one month. The data is published by StatCounter under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Two limits matter especially for Linux. First, systems below StatCounter's own reporting threshold are not counted. Second, a dual-boot machine or a Linux virtual machine is counted by whichever system loaded the page, so this is browsing share, not a count of installed systems. It also leaves out servers and embedded devices. The full rows, with their sources, are in the full dataset.

Why a small share still matters for dictation

Even a few percent of desktops is a large number of people, and Linux users are often the ones with the fewest dictation options. Most commercial dictation apps ship for Mac and Windows first. If you run Linux, the practical routes are a browser-based tool such as our free online dictation, or a tool you can run yourself. Check each product's supported systems before you plan around it.

If you split time between systems, note which ones your tool supports. Our market overview compares products, and our guide to the best dictation software explains how to choose. For the two largest systems, see our overviews of dictation on Mac and on Windows, and the broader pages on dictation software.

The short version: Linux is still a minority system on the desktop, it is larger in India and Germany than in the United States or the United Kingdom, and it has grown steadily since 2019. If you need dictation on it, plan on a browser tool or a self-hosted setup rather than assuming a native app exists.