This query has a flaw, it does not count deleted questions at all. You can still query deleted questions via the Stack Exchange Data Explorer, see this example

This query has a flaw, it does not count deleted questions at all. You can still query deleted questions via the Stack Exchange Data Explorer, see this example for a rewritten query: https://data.stackexchange.com/stackoverflow/revision/1881611/2305349/ https://data.stackexchange.com/stackoverflow/revision/188161... This changes the numbers, but not the trend. The trend still looks pretty grim.