SQL Server 2016 reached the end of extended support in July 2026, which means it no longer receives regular security updates unless you pay for Extended Security Updates (ESUs).
Your realistic options are to upgrade to SQL Server 2025, upgrade to SQL Server 2022, or buy ESUs for up to three more years (to July 2029), whether you run SQL Server on-premises or in Microsoft Azure.
For most production systems, I recommend a side-by-side migration to SQL Server 2025 unless an application vendor or a removed feature rules it out.
The right approach ultimately depends on application compatibility,