PHP version usage statistics show transition to PHP 8

Data analysis of PHP version usage within the Packagist ecosystem reveals shifting adoption trends over several years. In mid-2018, statistics showed a significant transition toward PHP 7, with PHP 7.1 being the most prevalent version and PHP 7.2 showing rapid growth, aided by the release of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.

By July 2022, the landscape had evolved toward the PHP 8 series. While PHP 8.1 showed increasing adoption, PHP 8.0 usage began to decline. Despite this progress, more than 50% of developers were still utilizing PHP 7.4 or older versions, raising concerns regarding security as older versions reach the end of their support lifecycles.