It has taken until this month for Windows 7 adoption to outstrip Windows XP when you consider worldwide trends.

Windows 7 has finally become the dominant desktop operating system and is now installed on 40% of client computers worldwide. This outcome, shown in the StatCounter chart below, is based on aggregate data on a sample exceeding 15 billion pageviews per month collected from across the StatCounter network of more than 3 million websites, 

This chart covers the period from October 2009, shortly after Windows 7 became available and indicates the way in which has replaced Windows XP, which in still installed on 39% of client machines, and Windows Vista, now only on 11%.

It will, however, take a while longer for Windows 7 to enjoy the same global market share as Windows XP, which according to StatCounter data, peaked at 77% in December 2008. Vista, by contrast, never managed to do better than the 24% it achieved in October 2009 before its share began to be eroded by Windows 7.

In the most affluent countries the picture is little different. For example, in the United States, where Windows 7 overtook XP in April 2011, it now has a 41% share. In the United Kingdom Windows 7 became the dominant OS in January 2011 and now has 42% of the client base.

If you are interested in other regions then you can use the StatCounter interactive tool to chart data for operating systems.

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StatCounter

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