Which programming language is the most popular (and most likely to be in demand by employers)?

Both professional developers and developers still learning to code, were asked in Stack Overflow’s 2022 annual survey, “Which programming, scripting, and markup languages have you done extensive development work in over the past year, and which do you want to work in over the next year?”

The results showed that JavaScript is again the most used programming language—tenth year in a row! However, for those learning to code, HTML/CSS, Javascript and Python are almost tied as the most popular languages used.

Also, people learning to code are more likely than Professional Developers to use Python (58% vs 44%), C++ (35% vs 20%), and C (32% vs 17%). Compared to Professional Developers, those learning to code are less likely to report using SQL (38% vs 53%), TypeScript (15% vs 40%), and Bash/Shell (19% vs 29%).

In addition to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey, the PYPL PopularitY of Programming Language Index was created to monitor the popularity of programming languages. This was done by analyzing how often language tutorials are searched on Google. The more a language tutorial is searched, the more popular the language is assumed to be.

According to the PYPL Index, Python is the most popular language, and it grew the most in the last 5 years (9.2%). Java ranks in at number 2.

The PYPL Popularity of Programming Language index can help developers decide which language to study and which languages are most in-demand in the professional world. Check out our open jobs that are looking for developers with entry-level or advanced experience in all of these popular programming languages.

Programming Language Rankings

Position	PYPL Index as of 11/1/22	Stack Overflow’s Survey 2022
#1	Python	JavaScript
#2	Java	HTML/CSS
#3	JavaScript	SQL
#4	C#	Python
#5	C/C++	TypeScript
#6	PHP	Java
#7	R	Bash/Shell
#8	TypeScript	C#
#9	Objective-C	C++
#10	Swift	PHP

Popular Programming Languages

Python:

Python is an open source programming language, initially designed by the Dutch programmer Guido van Rossum in the late 1980s. The first version, Python 0.9.0, was released in 1991. It is powerful, user-friendly and easy to learn. Python is used in many fields such as Machine Learning (ML), automation and scientific computing. It can also serve as a scripting language for web applications. Furthermore, there are diverse Python frameworks, like Django, TurboGears and Flask, that support developers in the development of complex applications.

Why Python is most popular programming language? Python is a popular programming language for a number of reasons, including:

Ease of use: Python has a simple, easy-to-read syntax, which makes it a great language for beginners to learn. It is also very expressive, meaning that it can be used to accomplish many tasks with fewer lines of code compared to other programming languages.
Versatility: Python can be used for a wide range of tasks, including web development, scientific computing, data analysis, machine learning, and more.
Large and supportive community: Python has a large and growing community of users and developers who contribute to its development and provide support to others through online forums, tutorials, and documentation.
Rich standard library: Python has a large standard library that includes modules for many common programming tasks, such as connecting to the web, reading and writing files, and working with data.
Growing demand: As data science and machine learning become increasingly important in industry and academia, the demand for Python skills has grown significantly. Additionally, Python is also widely used in finance, telecommunications, and other industries.

JavaScript:

JavaScript is one of the core technologies of the WWW, together with HTML and CSS. It was initially developed by the American computer programmer Brendan Eich, at Netscape, in 1995. It is a must-have among software developers and a great starting point for beginners. JavaScript must not be confused with Java, although both of them have a C-like syntax and JS was designed with Java’s syntax and standard library in mind. JavaScript and Java are actually very different.

Why is JavaScript the most popular programming language? JavaScript is the most popular programming language because of its versatility and wide range of applications. It is primarily used for front-end web development, but it can also be used for server-side programming, desktop applications, mobile app development, and more. JavaScript’s ease of use, cross-platform compatibility, and the vast number of resources available (such as libraries, frameworks, and tools) make it accessible to a wide range of developers. Additionally, the rapid pace of innovation and growth in the web development industry has led to an increased demand for JavaScript skills. These factors all contribute to its popularity and continued widespread use. Additionally, JavaScript has a relatively simple syntax, making it easier to learn and use than some other programming languages. It is also a high-level, interpreted language, which means that its code can be written and executed directly, without the need for pre-compilation. These features make JavaScript well-suited for creating dynamic, interactive web pages and applications, which is why it is so widely used for front-end development. Furthermore, JavaScript has a rich ecosystem of libraries and frameworks, such as React, Angular, and Vue.js, which make it easier for developers to build complex applications with less code. All these factors contribute to its popularity and widespread use.

Is it difficult to learn JavaScript? The difficulty of learning JavaScript can vary depending on a person’s prior experience with programming and their learning style. Generally, JavaScript is considered to be an easier programming language to learn compared to others like C++ or Java. It has a relatively simple syntax that is similar to other popular programming languages, making it easier to pick up for those who have prior experience with programming. Additionally, there is a wealth of resources available online, including tutorials, videos, and online courses, that can help individuals learn JavaScript at their own pace.

Java:

Java was originally designed by the Canadian computer scientist James Gosling, while working at Sun Microsystems, in 1995. It is a particularly popular programming language for server-client web applications. Although it was initially released under proprietary license, it is currently available under GNU GPL 2.0-only license.

HTML/CSS:

The markup language HTML, short for HyperText Markup Language, was initially designed by the British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1993. Used in combination with CSS and JavaScript, HTML is used by web browsers to compose visual web pages. CSS, short for Cascading Style Sheets, is a style sheet language, developed by W3C in 1996. It is used to format documents written in HTML or XML. So, as well as HTML and JavaScript, it is a cornerstone of the WWW.

SQL:

SQL, short for Structured Query Language, was initially designed by the American computer scientists Donald D. Chamberlin and Raymond F. Boyce in 1974. It is a declarative programming language used for data management in relational database management systems (RDBMS).

C is a general-purpose programming language, originally designed by the American computer scientist Dennis Ritchie in the 1970s. It stands out for the efficiency of its code. C is widely used for developing system software, creating applications and on a wide range of computer architectures — from supercomputers to embedded systems.

C++

C++ was initially developed by the Danish computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup in 1985, as an extension of C. It is often used in software infrastructure, desktop applications, servers, etc.

TypeScript:

TypeScript is an open source programming language, first released in 2012 by Microsoft. It is designed for developing large applications, JavaScript applications for client-side and server-side execution, etc.

Bash/Shell:

The command language and Unix shell Bash is the GNU Project’s shell. It was designed as a free software replacement for the Bourne shell by the American programmer Brian Fox, in 1989. Since then, most Linux distributions use it as the default login shell. It is available under GNU GPL v3 or later.