Linux distro timeline: when each distro began
The oldest distros in our directory are Debian and Slackware, from 1993. The busiest decade for new distros was the 2010s with 26, and 9 have started since 2020, the newest being Omarchy (2025).
1990s
2 distros · 4%
2000s
17 distros · 31%
2010s
26 distros · 48%
LMDE2010PePeppermint OS2010BoBodhi Linux2011
elementary OS2011
Lubuntu2011MaMageia2011
Manjaro2011LiLinux Lite2012
Qubes OS2012
Raspberry Pi OS2012SpSparkyLinux2012
Kali Linux2013KaKaOS2013
Parrot OS2013Q4Q4OS2013
SteamOS2013DeDevuan2014
MX Linux2014
openSUSE Tumbleweed2014openSUSE Leap2015
Solus2015
Artix Linux2017PoPop!_OS2017
Fedora Silverblue2018
CentOS Stream2019
EndeavourOS20192020s
9 distros · 17%
What the data shows
- 1990s: 2 distros started, from Debian (1993) to Slackware (1993).
- 2000s: 17 distros started, from Arch Linux (2002) to Tails (2009).
- 2010s: 26 distros started, from Linux Mint Debian Edition (2010) to EndeavourOS (2019).
- 2020s: 9 distros started, from Garuda Linux (2020) to Omarchy (2025).
- 54 of 58 distros have a founding year in our directory.
How this infographic is made
The year is the founding year recorded in each distro’s distro.watch profile, which is generally the year the project or its first public release began. Variants started later, such as a spin of a bigger distro, carry their own start year. Distros without a recorded year are left out. Within a decade, distros are in year order.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is the oldest Linux distro still around?
Debian and Slackware (1993) are the oldest in our directory.
Which Linux distros are new?
9 distros in our directory started in 2020 or later, including Omarchy, Fedora Asahi Remix, Bazzite and Vanilla OS.
Is an older distro better?
Not by itself. Age says how long a project has existed, not how well it is maintained. Check a distro’s release dates and support status on its page.