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Top 10 Most Popular Programming Languages

Top 10 Most Popular Programming Languages

Looking for which programming language you should learn in order to be in-demand for developer jobs? Read this top 10 list.

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Image: iStockphoto/Chalirmpoj Pimpisarn

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.

Python is likely to keep the top spot for a long time, Jansen told TechRepublic. “My guess is that the first thing that will happen in the top 5 is that C will be overtaken by C++, but that C++ won’t beat Python,” he said.

Here’s the list of the top 10 programming languages in 2023, per the TIOBE index rankings.

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Top 10 programming languages in August 2023

The top three programming languages on the index stayed steady between July and August, with Python, C and C++ maintaining the prime spots, respectively. One notable change in this month’s index is that Julia reached #20, marking the first time the relatively new programming language has entered the upper echelons of popularity in these rankings.

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

SEE: Python Crash Course (TechRepublic Academy)

Top 10 programming languages in July 2023

“A few months ago, the programming C++ language claimed position 3 of the TIOBE index (at the expense of Java),” Jansen wrote in the July post about the index.

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

SEE: The C++ Programming Bundle: Beginner to Expert (TechRepublic Academy)

Top 10 programming languages in June 2023

Whereas in May it was too early to tell what impact the artificial intelligence boom might have on the TIOBE index, the impact is clear in June. “If tools such as ChatGPT remain the talk of the day, it will (attract) newcomers, and then Python is definitely here to stay. If not, Python should fear for its first position,” Jansen wrote. OpenAI’s ChatGPT was written primarily in Python. ChatGPT can be used to write code in several languages, although not always with 100% accuracy.

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

SEE: The Complete ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence OpenAI Training Bundle (TechRepublic Academy)

Top 10 programming languages in May 2023

All of the most popular programming languages have held their spots in the TIOBE index top 10 this year, with few changes.

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

SEE: The Ultimate Programming Bundle (TechRepublic Academy)

Top 10 programming languages in April 2023

Python maintained its top spot on the TIOBE list for April. Zig, a programming language spun out of Google and invented to smooth out some of the Zig team’s problems with C and C++, entered the top 50 due to working particularly well in projects involving big data.

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

SEE: The Complete Career in Programming Course (TechRepublic Academy)

Top 10 programming languages in March 2023

Python claimed the number one spot on the TIOBE index this month. The index has recently shuffled around due to a dark horse, Go, which moved into the number 10 position. Jansen pointed out that Go receives Google backing, which increases confidence in the programming language.

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

SEE: Python Master Class (TechRepublic Academy)

Top 10 programming languages in February 2023

This month’s top two programming languages were Python and C, respectively. Ranked third on this list was C++, which had a stellar year-over-year increase of 5.93%,  a very big jump compared to about 1% year-over-year growth for the other most popular programming languages.

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

SEE: The Complete Computer Programmer Super Bundle (TechRepublic Academy)

Top 10 programming languages in January 2023

TIOBE named C++ its programming language of the year since it gained the most popularity throughout 2022. The excellent performance of C++ and its ability to create very large software systems without a lot of maintenance hassles through being a high-level object-oriented language contributed to its popularity, Jansen said.

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

SEE: ​​Intermediate & Advanced C++ Tutorial (TechRepublic Academy)