The United States Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has published its tenth annual ranking of programming languages. Python returns to the top of the general industry for the seventh year in a row.

The IEEE’s annual ranking of the most popular programming languages ​​is being published for the tenth time this year. Python celebrates this milestone by topping the overall list for the seventh year in a row. Not only does it retain its top spot, but it has actually increased its lead over other competitors.

an institution

The IEEE was founded in 1963 and celebrated its 60th anniversary on January 1 of this year. The American organization is headquartered in New York, but now has over 400,000 members around the world.

These are spread across 160 countries and more than three hundred local sections. This makes the IEEE the most comprehensive collection of engineers, mathematicians, computer scientists and other similar scientific professionals.

The institute is involved in various sciences, among other things through research, development of standards, publications or events. Topics and science covered range from AI (of course) to climate issues, data and cybersecurity to smart infrastructure and diversity.

Three times is the correct placement

While the ranking of the top programming languages ​​has of course evolved over the past decade, the factors have basically remained the same. The IEEE still combines several criteria that measure the popularity of the different programming languages ​​and converts them into three different rankings depending on the needs of the users.

In addition to the overall Spectrum ranking (representing the average IEEE audience), there are also jobs that are truly professional and trending. The name of the latter makes the approach immediately clear.

spectrum

According to the IEEE, Python’s dominance seems to come at the expense of smaller, niche programming languages. This may be due to the fact that the number one has now developed into a true all-rounder. Python, for example, is ideal for AI, which of course does not detract from its popularity.

Another reason the IEEE cites is that Python is also the language of choice for young people to take their first steps in the world of programming. With this basic knowledge, it is easy to get started in more advanced environments and it is even an advantage when looking for a job later. Python was also added to Microsoft Excel earlier this month, bringing with it another benefit.

The full top ten in the Spectrum ranking looks like this:

1. python
2. Java
3. C++
4. C
5. Javascript
6. c#
7. sql
8. Go
9. typescript
10. HTML

jobs

For professionals, this is of course the most important list. Python SQL has to give the thumbs up here, just like last year at the top of this list. According to IEEE, this is notable because employers rarely look for pure SQL programmers. They prefer to see a combination with, for example, Java or C++, both of which are also in the top 5 of job offers.

According to the IEEE, a lot of important data is now in an SQL environment. This ranges from the amounts in bank accounts to the contents of player accounts when playing online games.

However, according to IEEE, we shouldn’t focus on the top two of this ranking. Taken together, Java and the various C languages ​​are more popular than Python, especially for tasks that require more power or resources. In such cases, the interpreting effort of Python is still too expensive.

The R programming language is another example that should not be underestimated. It doesn’t make the top ten here, but it’s quite popular for statistical analysis and data visualization, despite having similar characteristics to Python. The IEEE backs up this claim by using R itself in creating these rankings.

In addition, there are some older languages ​​that do not rank very highly, but still play an important role in certain functions or professions.

• Fortran, for example, is ideal for physics simulations and has features that do not outweigh the cost. According to the IEEE, you can take Fortran to the US military or to an energy lab.
• Another older language that we should not underestimate is Cobol. This programming language has a basic code that is still trending among many financial companies. An IEEE survey of financial technology vacancies found that Cobol is more in demand than crypto talent.

These are the programming languages ​​that are in the top ten jobs this year:

1. sql
2. python
3. Java
4. Javascript
5. C++
6. c#
7. C
8. HTML
9. sleeve
10. SAS

Trending

The IEEE recognizes that these rankings cannot be accurately measured, which is somewhat ironic for a scientific organization. Rather, the compilers rely on their own experience of constantly dealing with computers. In its own words, the organization does not want to engage in debates about the ranking of programming languages, but consider the practical approach for everyone who works with a computer. If you want to learn even more about the methodology behind these lists, you can consult the IEEE’s supplementary statement.

Against this background, we also present the top ten trending rankings:

1. python
2. Java
3. Javascript
4. C++
5. sql
6. c#
7. C
8. HTML
9. Go
10. typescript

Now it’s a year to wait to see if this dominant stranglehold on the top programming language rankings holds up. Who knows, maybe another language will emerge as a digital Mowgli that outsmarts Python.