Developers who want to advance in their profession will want to choose a programming language that appeals to them and paves the way for a promising career. That is why it is always advisable to learn and use a programming language that is popular and in demand among major employers.
To compile this list, I consulted the December 2024 TIOBE Programming Community Index and several other sites. The index is a useful indicator of the popularity of programming languages and is updated once a month. Ratings are based on the number of engineers trained worldwide, courses and third-party providers.
TIOBE says Google, Amazon, Wikipedia, Bing and more than 20 other websites are used to calculate the ratings. N.B. The 'change' percentage below refers to the change in grades in one year.
SEE: Quick Glossary: Web Browsers (TechRepublic Premium)
Main programming languages
According to the analysis, these are the top 10 programming languages in 2024:
- Piton: 23.84% ratings / +9.98% change (#1 in 2023)
- C++: 10.82% / +0.81% (No. 3)
- Java: 9.72% / +1.73% (No. 4)
- DO: 9.10% / -2.34% (No. 2)
- DO#: 4.87% / -2.43% (No. 5)
- JavaScript: 4.61% / +1.72% (No. 6)
- Go: 2.17% / +1.14% (No. 13)
- SQL: 1.99% / +0.37% (No. 9)
- Basic visual: 1.96% / +0.14% (No. 8)
- Fortran: 1.79% / +0.72% (No. 12)
Python is superior
Like the TIOBE data for November 2024, Python is at the top of the list. TIOBE considers Python to be “unstoppable thanks to its support for AI and data mining, its large set of libraries, and its ease of learning.”
Elsewhere, evidence shows that Python is a powerful beast in the world of programming languages.
Python is the most popular programming language in a 2024 report from Stack Overflow. The report indicates that 70% of those surveyed use it regularly. Stack Overflow states, “Employers are looking for proficiency in frameworks like Django and Flask for web development and libraries like Pandas, NumPy, and TensorFlow for data-related tasks.”
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers also rated Python highly. In its Top Programming Languages 2024 report, IEEE explains: “Python continues to solidify its overall dominance, driven by popular libraries for hot fields like AI, as well as its pedagogical prominence.”
IEEE adds: “Python is also quite popular among employers, although its lead over other general-purpose languages is not as great and, like last year, it plays second fiddle to the database query language SQL, which Employers like to see it paired with other language. “
SEE: Top 10 Python courses worth taking (TechRepublic)
A lot for C
TIOBE did not describe the other languages in its December report, but let's take a quick look.
C++ is very similar to C, which moved into second place. C++ is well suited for game and system development, but can be relatively difficult to learn.
C is often used in application and system development. Its syntax is similar to other popular languages, making it a useful branching point for beginning developers.
C# is an object- and component-oriented programming language similar to the C and Java language families. It is used for web, game and application development.
Java is an excellent language for AI, applications, and web development. Requires relatively advanced skills to learn.
SEE: The 5 best online C programming courses (TechRepublic)
Job opportunities in technology
The news is often filled with grim reports about layoffs, but a look at job boards shows that plenty of tech opportunities still exist.
For example, in Python, there are 1.19 million jobs on LinkedIn and 6,445 jobs on ZipRecruiter.
Not all jobs on those sites are right for everyone, but a good career could be within reach for people willing to make the effort.
SEE: The 5 best web development courses worth taking (TechRepublic)
Tips for developers
Improving your coding skills can take your career in different directions, including game development, website design, and mobile app development. And by learning the most popular programming languages, you will become more attractive to employers. You have several options for learning the most in-demand languages, such as earning a four-year degree at a college or university or enrolling in a coding boot camp.
You can also learn programming languages through online courses at TechRepublic Academy or check out our hiring kits at TechRepublic Premium. The latter provides information on developer jobs and is a good way to discover relevant skills and potential interview questions.
