IEEE Spectrum magazine, published by the Institute of Electrical Engineers and Electronics Institute, presented its review of the popularity of programming languages in 2023. The study was conducted using a method of analysis and data processing, founded on the examination of the exposure of 59 programming languages to the community of engineers and developers in various application scenarios, as well as the active interest of developers in each language.
The information regarding different programming languages was gathered through manual searches and collection of mentioned languages in cloud services such as Google, Stack Overflow, Github (Githut 2), IEEE XPLORE DIGITAL LIBRARY, DISCORD platform, Trinity College Dublin, and also on IEEE Job and Careerbuilder.
The IEEE Spectrum rating classifies the popularity of programming languages into three aspects that reflect their active usage: the first aspect focuses on languages widely used among typical members of the IEEE community and active programmers (subsection “Spectrum”); the second aspect focuses on languages in demand by employers (subsection “Work”); and the third aspect focuses on languages aligned with current trends (subsection “Trends”).
In the “Spectrum” category, the top five most popular languages include Python, Java, C++, C, and JavaScript. Following them are C#, SQL, and GO. Python’s dominance in this category is likely due to its utilization in specialized areas. Python has become a universal language and plays a vital role in fields such as artificial intelligence, where its extensive libraries make it especially sought after.
In the “Work” ranking, SQL takes the first place, followed by Python and Java. However, programmers rarely work exclusively with SQL in practice. Employers often value SQL skills in combination with other languages like Java or C++. In modern distributed architectures, critical business data is often stored in SQL databases, whether it’s a list of magic spells a player knows in an online game or the balance of money in their real bank account. To utilize this information, one must know how to access it.
In the “Trends” ranking, Python, Java, and JavaScript take the lead.
The creators of this rating emphasize that their analysis methodology allows for measuring the popularity of programming languages based on practical considerations tied to real-world usage across various development fields. This approach helps avoid debates about formal language