Magnetic clouds (MCs) are a subset of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) characterized by enhanced magnetic fields with an organized rotation in direction, and low plasma ¿. Though intensely studied, MCs only constitute a fraction of all ICMEs detected in the solar wind. A comprehensive survey of ICMEs in the near-Earth solar wind during the ascending, maximum and early declining phases of solar cycle 23 in 1996--2003 shows that the MC fraction varied with the phase of the solar cycle, from ~100% (though with low statistics) at solar minimum to ~15% at solar maximum. A similar trend is evident in near-Earth observations during solar cycles 20--21, while Helios 1/2 observations at 0.3--1.0 AU show a weaker trend and larger MC fraction.