Every software developer gradually specializes as he gains experience. It is influenced by everything from education, the projects, to personal and professional interests. It can sometimes help to focus on current trends in one’s environment.
How is the popularity of programming languages changing?
This is one of the questions answered by the State Developer Nation survey from SlashData. Its 22nd edition was published in the middle of 2022, so we can compare the data with the current situation. The survey data covers the period from December 2021 to February 2022. More than 20,000 software developers from 166 countries took part in the survey. Therefore, the results reflect trends from all over the world.
TOP 3 programming languages
First thing first, the dominance of JavaScript has been confirmed once again. There are 17.5 million developers using this language and so for the tenth time, JavaScript has become number one according to popularity. However, we must add that the analysts from SlashData also included CoffeeScript and TypeScript under JavaScript.
Python has secured the second place with 15.7 million users. It has recently gained a lot – up to 3.3 million users in six months. If we consider that in the same period, JavaScript has gained “only” 1 million new fans, Python could soon reach for gold.
Java concludes the top 3 by popularity. This language has existed for almost three decades but even so it records a stable increase in users every year. The reason is its versatility in software backend, Android applications development but also new uses in VR and AR.
What else has the survey shown?
The analysis of the collected data showed a leap in the popularity of Rust. It moved up two places from Q3 2021. Over the past two years, the group of developers using Rust has almost tripled.
Kotlin has also enjoyed an increase in the number of users. If we compare the data on its popularity from the current survey and the results from the same period last year, we will see that the number of its fans among software developers has more than doubled.
This is probably mainly due its choice by Google as the preferred language for the development of Android applications.
And what about the Titans?
The popularity of programming languages can be seen from the data on the most appointed positions. Those too confirm the trends from the international survey: Java, JavaScript and Python are on the podium with their position not changing much over time. How will the popularity of languages develop in the coming years? Our current offer of IT projects can also have an effect on this.
