New research from the online developer community Stack Overflow has revealed the most popular programming languages their developers use.
Unsurprisingly, JavaScript remains the most popular language among the more than 3,000 UK developers surveyed, with three in five (63%) using the language regularly.
HTML/CSS (54%), SQL (52%), and Python (51%) also ranked highly, which isn’t shocking considering that these languages have dominated the programming landscape for some time.
These are the most popular programming languages
Bash/Shell (39%), TypeScript (37%), C# (34%), Java (22%), C++ (21%) and PowerShell (18%) rounded out the list of the top 10 most used languages among UK respondents .
Despite JavaScript’s dominance, the survey revealed a shift in preferences going forward, with Python emerging as the language developers most want to use. More than two in five (43%) said Python would be their first choice in the next 12 months.
The language has a reputation for being easy to learn, but is also versatile, great for automation, and works across platforms.
Only 40% of developers plan to continue using JavaScript, which could be a sign of its demise.
The survey also ranked Britain among more than 65,000 respondents worldwide, highlighting that British developers typically have one year more coding experience compared to US respondents, and two years more than Canadian developers.
In addition to analyzing current trends, the research also looks at the future of programming, both in terms of interest and demand from developers, uncovering areas for personal development that could be lucrative for programmers.
Stack Overflow revealed declining average salaries in many popular languages. Nim, Erlang and Apex were the only three to receive higher salaries in 2024 compared to 2023, indicating potential future growth due to increasing demand.
