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[9]Download PDF ↓ [10]Close bar The Top Programming Languages 2023 Share FOR THE TECHNOLOGY INSIDER Search: ____________________ (Search) Explore by topic [11]Aerospace[12]Artificial Intelligence[13]Biomedical[14]Climate Tech[15]Computing[16]Consumer Electronics[17]Energy[18]History of Technology[19]Robotics[20]Semiconductors[21]Telecommunications[22]Trans portation [23]IEEE Spectrum FOR THE TECHNOLOGY INSIDER Topics [24]Aerospace[25]Artificial Intelligence[26]Biomedical[27]Climate Tech[28]Computing[29]Consumer Electronics[30]Energy[31]History of Technology[32]Robotics[33]Semiconductors[34]Telecommunications[35]Trans portation Sections [36]Features[37]News[38]Opinion[39]Careers[40]DIY[41]The Big Picture[42]Engineering Resources More [43]Special Reports[44]Collections[45]Explainers[46]Podcasts[47]Videos[48]Newslette rs[49]Top Programming Languages[50]Robots Guide For IEEE Members [51]Current Issue[52]Magazine Archive[53]The Institute[54]TI Archive For IEEE Members [55]Current Issue[56]Magazine Archive[57]The Institute[58]TI Archive IEEE Spectrum [59]About Us[60]Contact Us[61]Reprints & Permissions[62]Advertising Follow IEEE Spectrum Support IEEE Spectrum IEEE Spectrum is the flagship publication of the IEEE — the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences. 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[74]Learn more → [75]CREATE AN ACCOUNT[76]SIGN IN [77]JOIN IEEE[78]SIGN IN [79]Close Access Thousands of Articles — Completely Free Create an account and get exclusive content and features: Save articles, download collections, and talk to tech insiders — all free! For full access and benefits, [80]join IEEE as a paying member. [81]CREATE AN ACCOUNT[82]SIGN IN [83]Computing[84]Topic[85]Type[86]News The Top Programming Languages 2023 Python and SQL are on top, but old languages shouldn’t be forgotten [87]Stephen Cass 29 Aug 2023 3 min read An editorial illustration with blue arrows pointing upwards, each with the name of a different programming language. Getty Images/IEEE Spectrum [88]top programming languages[89]computing[90]Python[91]SQL[92]Fortran[93]COBOL[94]r[95]cod ing[96]programming[97]Top Programming Languages Welcome to [98]IEEE Spectrum’s 10th annual rankings of the Top Programming Languages. While the way we put the TPL together has evolved over the past decade, the basics remain the same: to combine multiple metrics of popularity into a set of rankings that reflect the varying needs of different readers. This year, [99]Python doesn’t just remain No. 1 in our general “Spectrum” ranking—which is weighted to reflect the interests of the typical IEEE member—but it widens its lead. Python’s increased dominance appears to be largely at the expense of smaller, more specialized, languages. It has become the jack-of-all-trades language—and the master of some, such as AI, where powerful and extensive libraries make it ubiquitous. And although [100]Moore’s Law is winding down for high-end computing, low-end microcontrollers are still benefiting from performance gains, which means there’s now enough computing power available on a [101]US $0.70 CPU to make Python a contender in embedded development, despite the overhead of an interpreter. Python also looks to be solidifying its position for the long term: Many children and teens now program [102]their first game or [103]blink their first LED using Python. They can then move seamlessly into more advanced domains, and even get a job, with the same language. But Python alone does not make a career. In our “Jobs” ranking, it is SQL that shines at No. 1. Ironically though, you’re very unlikely to get a job as a pure SQL programmer. Instead, employers love, love, love, seeing SQL skills in tandem with some other language such as Java or C++. With today’s distributed architectures, a lot of business-critical data live in SQL databases, whether it’s the list of magic spells a player knows in an online game or the amount of money in their real-life bank account. If you want to to do anything with that information, you need to know how to get at it. But don’t let Python and SQL’s rankings fool you: Programming is still far from becoming a monoculture. Java and the various C-like languages outweigh Python in their combined popularity, especially for high-performance or resource-sensitive tasks where that interpreter overhead of Python’s is still too costly (although there are a number of [104]attempts to make Python more competitive on that front). And there are software ecologies that are resistant to being absorbed into Python for other reasons. We saw more fintech developer positions looking for chops in Cobol than in crypto For example, [105]R, a language used for statistical analysis and visualization, came to prominence with [106]the rise of big data several years ago. Although powerful, it’s not easy to learn, with enigmatic syntax and functions typically being performed on entire vectors, lists, and other high-level data structures. But although there are Python libraries that provide similar analytic and graphical functionality, R has remained popular, likely precisely because of its peculiarities. They make R scripts hard to port, a significant issue given the enormous body of statistical analysis and academic research built on R. Entire fields of researchers and analysts would have to learn a new language and rebuild their work. (Side note: We use R to crunch the numbers for the TPL.) This situation bears similarities to [107]Fortran, where the value of the existing validated code for physics simulations and other scientific computations consistently outweighs the costs associated with using one of the oldest programming languages in existence. You can still get a job today as a Fortran programmer—although you’ll probably need to be able to get a security clearance, since those jobs are mostly at U.S. federal defense or energy labs like the [108]Oak Ridge National Laboratory. If you can’t get a security clearance but still like languages with more than a few miles on them, [109]Cobol is another possibility. This is for many of the same reasons we see with Fortran: There’s a large installed code base that does work where mistakes are expensive. Many large banks still need their Cobol programmers. Indeed, based on our review of hundreds of developer recruitment ads, it’s worth noting that we saw more fintech developer positions looking for chops in Cobol than in crypto. Veteran languages can also turn up in places you might not expect. [110]Ladder Logic, created for industrial-control applications, is often associated with old-fashioned tech. Nonetheless, we spotted a posting from [111]Blue Origin, one of the glamorous New Space outfits, looking for someone with Ladder Logic skills. Presumably that’s related to the clusters of ground equipment needed to fuel, energize, and test boosters and spacecraft, and which have much more in common with sprawling chemical refineries than soaring rockets. Ultimately, the TPL represents Spectrum‘s attempt to measure something that can never be measured exactly, informed by our ongoing coverage of computing. Our guiding principle is not to get bogged down in debates about how programming languages are formally classified, but instead ground it in the practicalities relevant to folks tapping away at their keyboards, creating the magic that makes the modern world run. (You can read more about the metrics and methods we use to construct the rankings in [112]our accompanying note.) We hope you find it useful and informative, and here’s to the next 10 years! From Your Site Articles * [113]How the Boeing 737 Max Disaster Looks to a Software Developer › * [114]Why Software Fails › * [115]A Critical Look at AI-Generated Software › Related Articles Around the Web * [116]Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers ... › [117]top programming languages[118]computing[119]Python[120]SQL[121]Fortran[122]COBOL[123]r[ 124]coding[125]programming[126]Top Programming Languages [127]Stephen Cass [128]Stephen Cass is the special projects editor at IEEE Spectrum. He currently helms Spectrum's Hands On column, and is also responsible for interactive projects such as the [129]Top Programming Languages app. He has a bachelor's degree in experimental physics from Trinity College Dublin. The Conversation (0) [130]Black and white photo of smoke rising from buildings, some of which are collapsed. [131]History of Technology[132]Topic[133]Magazine[134]September 2023[135]Article[136]Type [137]Taking the Measure of the Earthquake That Destroyed Tokyo 7h 6 min read [138]Photo of a man standing in front of a display that says "Democracy in action." [139]The Institute[140]Topic[141]Article[142]Type[143]Climate Tech [144]President’s Note: Forging Partnerships will Sharpen IEEE’s Edge 8h 3 min read [145]A close up photo of a tiny robot with six black legs and a circuit board on top, attached to a breadboard in the background through copper wires. [146]Robotics[147]Topic[148]Type[149]News[150]Humanoid Robots [151]Video Friday: Squishable Bugbot 9h 2 min read Related Stories [152]Computing[153]Topic[154]Type[155]News [156]Top Programming Languages Methodology [157]Climate Tech[158]Topic[159]Type[160]Sensors[161]News [162]Hailsondes Launch Into Thunderstorms to Sound Them Out [163]Computing[164]Topic[165]Artificial Intelligence[166]Type[167]News [168]How Coders Can Survive—and Thrive—in a ChatGPT World References Visible links: 1. https://spectrum.ieee.org/feeds/topic/computing.rss 2. https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5WJB5X2 3. https://www.ieee.org/ 4. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/home.jsp 5. https://standards.ieee.org/ 6. https://www.ieee.org/sitemap.html 7. https://www.ieee.org/profile/public/createwebaccount/showCreateAccount.html?ShowMGAMarkeatbilityOptIn=true&sourceCode=spectrum&signinurl=https://spectrum.ieee.org/core/saml/main/login&url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/&autoSignin=Y&car=IEEE-Spectrum 8. 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