Is jQuery Finally Dead in 2026?

Every year someone declares jQuery dead. Every year it turns out to power 77% of the internet. Here's the actual nuanced take.

The Numbers Don't Lie

According to W3Techs data, jQuery is used by over 75% of all websites. That's not a typo. Not "used to be." Is. Today.

Why jQuery Still Exists

1. The Long Tail of the Web

Not every website is a React SPA built by a Bay Area startup. There are millions of WordPress sites, PHP apps, legacy enterprise portals, and government websites that run jQuery fine and have no reason to rewrite.

2. WordPress

WordPress powers ~43% of the web. WordPress ships with jQuery. jQuery will not die until WordPress rewrites its admin interface. Don't hold your breath.

3. It Still Works

$('#myButton').on('click', function() {
  $(this).toggleClass('active');
  $.ajax('/api/data').done(data => console.log(data));
});

Is this modern? No. Does it work? Perfectly. On every browser. With no build step.

Where jQuery Is Actually Dead

In modern JavaScript development, jQuery has been replaced:

• DOM manipulation → document.querySelector, element.classList
• AJAX → fetch()
• Animations → CSS transitions, Web Animations API, Framer Motion
• Event delegation → native addEventListener

Everything jQuery did, the web platform does now natively.

Should You Learn jQuery in 2026?

New dev starting fresh? No. Learn vanilla JS and React. Maintaining a legacy codebase? You'll need basic jQuery knowledge. Working with WordPress? Yes, you'll encounter it.

The Lesson

jQuery isn't dead. It's the cockroach of JavaScript libraries — surviving every extinction event because it works and nobody has incentive to remove it.

The declaration of its death has been greatly exaggerated. For 15 years straight.