Briefs · VIII · Ideatives Inc. · Updated
Usability is quality.
According to the WebAIM Million 2026 report, 95.9% of the top one million home pages had automatically detected WCAG 2 failures in February 2026, up from 94.8% in 2025 and down from 97.8% in 2019.
WebAIM Million, 2026 · about 1,000,000 home pages, scanned with WAVE
How many websites fail automated accessibility checks?
In WebAIM's February 2026 scan, 95.9% of the top one million home pages had automatically detected WCAG 2 failures. The rate has stayed between 94.8% and 98.1% since 2019.
Show data table
| Year | Pages with failures |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 97.8% |
| 2020 | 98.1% |
| 2021 | 97.4% |
| 2022 | 96.8% |
| 2023 | 96.3% |
| 2024 | 95.9% |
| 2025 | 94.8% |
| 2026 | 95.9% |
Download CSV · compiled by Ideatives Inc. from the source above
Contrast, checkout and lawsuits
83.9%
Of home pages have low contrast text, the most common detected error.
WebAIM Million, 2026
17%
Of US shoppers who abandoned checkout cite a process that was too long or complicated. Shoppers who were only browsing are excluded.
Baymard Institute, 2025
4,928
Web accessibility lawsuits filed in 2025, NY and CA state courts plus federal courts.
UsableNet lawsuit tracker
What automated scans detect and miss
Detected
Failures
95.9% of home pages had detected WCAG 2 failures in 2026.
WebAIM, 2026
Detected
The big six
96% of detected errors fall into six categories, the same for the last 7 years.
WebAIM, 2026
Not detected
Clean scan
"Absence of detected errors does not indicate that a page is accessible or conformant."
WebAIM, 2026
Not detected
Conformance
Full WCAG A/AA conformance is "certainly lower than 4.1%" of home pages.
WebAIM, 2026
Not detected
Real use
Our view: keyboard and screen reader problems show up when a person tries the flow.
Our view: a product people can't use doesn't work. Automated scans miss problems that only testing with real users and assistive technology finds.
What to do
- Fail the CI build on the big six: contrast, alt text, labels, empty links, empty buttons, page language.
- Test signup and checkout with a keyboard and a screen reader every release.
- Fix the code itself; don't rely on an overlay widget. Shorten checkout: fewer fields, guest checkout.
Questions
- What percentage of websites fail accessibility checks?
- 95.9% of the top one million home pages had automatically detected WCAG 2 failures in WebAIM's February 2026 scan.
- What is the most common accessibility error?
- Low-contrast text, found on 83.9% of home pages in the WebAIM Million 2026.
- How many web accessibility lawsuits were filed in 2025?
- 4,928 in New York and California state courts plus federal courts, per UsableNet.
Sources
- WebAIM, The WebAIM Million, 2019–2026 reports (2026 page updated March 30, 2026). About 1M home pages each February, one tool (WAVE). Non-profit at Utah State University; sells the WAVE API.
- Baymard Institute, Cart Abandonment Rate, updated September 22, 2025. Vendor; self-reported reasons, US shoppers, sample size not shown.
- UsableNet, ADA Website Compliance Lawsuit Tracker. Vendor; NY/CA state and federal courts only. Its 2026 trends blog gives "more than 5,000" for 2025; the tracker figure is used here.