Like spoken languages, there are hundreds of programming languages. Some are used by millions of people every day, others have lost popularity while others wait in the wings for their time to shine.
At the beginning of this century, PHP was one of the most popular programming languages. But today faster and more efficient languages have surpassed it.
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Among professional developers today, JavaScript is generally considered the most popular. The language has topped Stack Overflow’s developer survey as the most used for nearly a decade. The most recent release found that 65.82% of professional developers used the programming language, with HTML/CSS, SQL, Python, and TypeScript rounding out the top five.
GitHub data is similar. JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, Java and C# were the most used on its platform in 2023.
But with rapid technological advances, the skill half-life – the time it takes for half of knowledge to become useless – is decreasing, creating a growing need for upskilling. Fortunately, there are several ways to acquire these skills, whether through an advanced degree, a bootcamp, or a certification program. But determining which programming language path to follow can be tricky.
Which programming languages are the most in demand?
Based on usage data, many programming languages are in demand and popular, including JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, HTML/CSS, Java, C# and others
| Coding language | Relevant fields | Using GitHub (2023) | Stack OverFlow – % of use by professional developers (2023) |
| JavaScript | Web, software development | ~5.8 million | 65.82% |
| Python | Data, artificial intelligence, machine learning | ~5.2 million | 45.32% |
| Typescript | Software Development (subset of JavaScript) | ~3.4 million | 43.75% |
| C# | Web, software development | ~1.8 million | 29.16% |
But that doesn’t mean they will be tomorrow. The coding languages that saw the most growth in 2023, according to GitHub research, included:
“Both Rust and Lua stand out for their security and memory efficiency, and both can be used for system programming and embedded systems, which can be attributed to their growth,” the report states.
Stack Overflow research finds that HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and Python are the most popular languages among people “learning to code.”
Python is the most in-demand programming language, according to Thai Le, associate professor of computer and information science at the University of Mississippi. His area of expertise includes the study of machine learning and natural language processing.
“Python is quite intuitive and I think it’s easier to learn,” says Le. “And then if you use Python, you can do a lot of things not only: traditional computer science stuff, but you can also do a lot of data science projects using Python.”
Many major tech companies, such as Meta and Google, use Python to develop machine learning and artificial intelligence platforms, he notes.
Go, a programming language designed by Google, is also growing in popularity and importance, Li says, due to its ability to help create fast and accurate learning models.
Which programming language is best?
Again, as with spoken languages, choosing a programming language to learn should be based on your interests and career aspirations. If you are looking to become a web developer, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript will be important. If becoming a data scientist or data analyst is more appealing, then Python, SQL, and R are essential. Software developers may use C#, C++, or Java more often. Others in the tech field may use Ruby, Kotlin, or Shell.
In the world of programming, there is no single answer regarding the best or most important language. However, having a basic understanding of some of the easier-to-learn programming languages like Java, Python, or Scratch can help build the foundation.
As artificial intelligence becomes smarter and easier to use, computer programming is likely to look very different in the coming years, with the technology helping to automate processes, detect problems and even propose solutions. And while AI is unlikely to completely replace programmers any time soon, a greater focus will be placed on more complicated tasks, thus underlining the need to master the most in-demand languages.