There is a magic word {{PAGESINNAMESPACE}} but this is enabled by $wgAllowSlowParserFunctions which is false by default. This is old Technical-Debt that could be calculated more easily with some back-end changes; see T226667: Register namespaces in the database and T228559: Remove $wgAllowSlowParserFunctions.

This (or similar) could be still called here, even if the numbers are only updated periodically (e.g. once every 24 hours) to give a ballpark estimate.

There was an older suggestion to include this information in Special:Statistics, (T228554: Add pages per namespace counts to Special:Statistics) but this has been merged here since it seems to make more sense in Special:NamespaceInfo, which was fixed in 2020 with T263513: Create a Special:NamespaceInfo page, so didn't exist in 2019 when T228554 was filed.

Related Objects

Mentioned In: T421053: Special namespaceinfo should have attributes in separate columns
T228559: Remove $wgAllowSlowParserFunctions
T228554: Add pages per namespace counts to Special:Statistics
Mentioned Here: T263513: Create a Special:NamespaceInfo page
T228554: Add pages per namespace counts to Special:Statistics
T226667: Register namespaces in the database
T228559: Remove $wgAllowSlowParserFunctions
T402854: Add a high-throughput counter system to MediaWiki

Event Timeline

Bugreporter2 created this task.Jan 29 2025, 9:33 AM

Restricted Application added a subscriber: Aklapper. · View Herald TranscriptJan 29 2025, 9:33 AM

Bugreporter2 triaged this task as Low priority.Jan 29 2025, 9:33 AM

Pppery moved this task from To triage to Multiple special pages on the MediaWiki-Special-pages board.Feb 2 2025, 5:24 AM

Pppery moved this task from Multiple special pages to Other special pages on the MediaWiki-Special-pages board.

Bugreporter2 awarded a token.Feb 5 2025, 1:56 PM

Pppery awarded a token.Oct 1 2025, 2:08 AM

enabled by $wgAllowSlowParserFunctions which is false by default.

Please note https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Scribunto/Lua_reference_manual#mw.site.stats.pagesInNamespace bypasses $wgAllowSlowParserFunctions and can be used in Wikimedia wikis.

only updated periodically (e.g. once every 24 hours) to give a ballpark estimate.

We can updated it real time if we have a place to store the count. Previously I suggest a new table (T228559, T226667), but I think T402854: Add a high-throughput counter system to MediaWiki can be an alternative solution.

Bugreporter updated the task description. (Show Details)Oct 1 2025, 2:17 AM

Bugreporter mentioned this in T228554: Add pages per namespace counts to Special:Statistics.

In T385002#11231837, @Bugreporter wrote:

enabled by $wgAllowSlowParserFunctions which is false by default.

Please note https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Scribunto/Lua_reference_manual#mw.site.stats.pagesInNamespace bypasses $wgAllowSlowParserFunctions and can be used in Wikimedia wikis.

I have noted it, but I also think that Lua shouldn't be used for things that should rather be hard-coded into MediaWiki core. The reason, being, as I've stated elsewhere but have to reiterate again, is that MediaWiki should not only be considered an internal WMF project, but one written within the ethos of the Free Software Movement for the benefit of humanity. It's possible for third parties to set up MediaWiki without Extension:Scribunto, as that's an extension, so it's optional. That suggests: