Top 10 Most Popular Programming Languages

Python and C hold the top two spots in the TIOBE Index list of the most popular programming languages in April, with Python in a month-over-month ascent and C in a slight decline. C++ grew in popularity year-over-year but saw a slight decline month-over-month. PHP’s popularity continues to drop due to fierce competition and security problems.

Top 10 programming languages in April 2024

The top 10 programming languages in April 2024 (Figure A), according to the TIOBE Programming Community index, are:

1. Python: A general-purpose programming language commonly used for backend development and data science. A good programming language for beginners.

2. C: A programming language often used in app and system development. Its syntax is similar to other popular languages, making it a useful branching-off point for beginner developers.

3. C++: Very similar to C, with the addition of classes and objects. C++ is well-suited for game and system development. It may be relatively difficult to learn.

4. Java: An exceptionally good language for AI, app and web development. Java requires relatively advanced skills to learn.

5. C#: Used in app, game and web development, C# is an object- and component-oriented programming language and is similar to the C and Java language families.

6. JavaScript: A scripting language often used for app, game and web development, as well as web servers. JavaScript is simpler and more flexible than Java, which makes it inappropriate for some programming tasks but often easier to learn.

7. Go: Go is a relatively easy-to-learn language good for backend development and for working with APIs and web services.

8. Visual Basic: A programming language with a drag-and-drop user interface good for frontend and full-stack development.

9. SQL: SQL is intended specifically for database programming.

10. Fortran: First used in the 1950s, Fortran was remarkable at the time because it could be written on any system, not just on a specific computer. It is still used today in scientific research, engineering and other cases.

Figure A

TIOBE’s proprietary points system takes into account which programming languages are most popular according to a variety of large search engines.

SEE: Google Cloud’s Axion data center chip enters the ARM fight. (TechRepublic)

Java recovers popularity slightly

Along with the slight movement in the top three programming languages, other changes in the TIOBE Index this month include:

• Java lost 4.29% year-over-year but continued to rise slightly month-over-month following the course of its January 2024 recovery after being in decline since March 2023.
• JavaScript reached the highest position it has ever held, with 2.89% rating in sixth position.
• Go continues its steady rise throughout 2024 with a 1.85% rating.

Top 10 programming languages in March 2024

The top 10 programming languages in March 2024 (Figure A) according to the TIOBE Programming Community index, are:

Python: A general-purpose programming language commonly used for backend development and data science. A good programming language for beginners.

C: A programming language often used in app and system development. Its syntax is similar to other popular languages, making it a useful branching-off point for beginner developers.

C++: Very similar to C, with the addition of classes and objects. C++ is well-suited for game and system development.

Java: Exceptionally good for AI, app and web development.

C#: Used in app, game and web development, C# is an object- and component-oriented programming language and is similar to the C and Java language families.

JavaScript: A programming language often used for app, game and web development, as well as web servers.

SQL: SQL is intended specifically for database programming.

Go: Go is good for backend development and for working with APIs and web services.

Scratch: Scratch is a programming language made to teach children the basics of programming.

Visual Basic: A programming language with a drag-and-drop user interface good for frontend and full-stack development.

TIOBE’s proprietary points system takes into account which programming languages are most popular according to a variety of large search engines.

SEE: Learn Python with this 12-course bootcamp. (TechRepublic Academy)

Top 10 programming languages in February 2024

The top 10 programming languages in February 2024 according to the TIOBE Programming Community index are:

1. Python
2. C
3. C++
4. Java
5. C#
6. JavaScript
7. SQL
8. Go
9. Visual Basic
10. PHP

Top 10 programming languages in January 2024

The top 10 programming languages in January 2024 according to the TIOBE Programming Community index are:

1. Python
2. C
3. C++
4. Java
5. C#
6. JavaScript
7. PHP
8. Visual Basic
9. SQL
10. Scratch

SEE: The top ten programming languages in January 2024. (TechRepublic)

Top 10 programming languages in December 2023

In December, the top 10 programming languages remained the same as they were last month, according to TIOBE Software’s monthly list. Jansen noted that most of the top 20 programming languages lost popularity according to the TIOBE Software points system, as smaller languages became more popular and gradually moved up the rankings.

1. Python
2. C
3. C++
4. Java
5. C#
6. JavaScript
7. PHP
8. Visual Basic
9. SQL
10. Assembly Language

Top 10 programming languages in November 2023

The top 10 programming languages on TIOBE’s proprietary ranking system (Figure G) mostly held steady in November. PHP and Visual Basic swapped spots. Python and C both saw declines of 3.02% and 3.31% respectively. C++ declined by 0.39%. C# rose in popularity by 3.40%.

1. Python
2. C
3. C++
4. Java
5. C#
6. JavaScript
7. PHP
8. Visual Basic
9. SQL
10. Assembly Language

The TIOBE Index’s 10 most popular programming languages for November 2023. The change column indicates shifts month-over-month. The points system used in the ratings column is determined by the number of skilled engineers worldwide, courses and third-party vendors engaging with each language on a range of popular search engines.

What is the TIOBE Index?

The TIOBE Index is an indicator of which programming languages are most popular within a given month. Its proprietor, TIOBE Software CEO Paul Jansen, notes that the index is not a prize for the “best” language or a list of in which programming language the most code has been written; instead, he uses popular search engines to determine which languages are most used among professional programmers, programming courses and third-party vendors.