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The Top Programming Languages 2023
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[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!
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[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.
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