The TIOBE Index has named Python its programming language of the year based on the considerable growth in usage and popularity of the language over the past year.
Among the reasons for Python’s rapid growth is that it has become a preferred language for organizations building next-generation AI applications.
“Python is everywhere nowadays, and it is the undisputed default language of choice in many fields,” wrote Paul Jansen, founder and CEO of TIOBE Software, in a post. “It might even become the language with the highest ranking ever in the TIOBE index. Python’s only serious drawbacks are (and thus leaving room for competition) its lack of performance and that most errors occur run-time.”
This language of the year award is given to the programming language with the highest increase in ratings in one year time. Python gained 9.3% in 2024. This is far ahead of its competition: Java +2.3%, JavaScript +1.4% and Go +1.2%, Jansen wrote.
Python is indeed the leading language for AI and machine learning development, particularly with the rapid growth of generative AI technologies, Arnal Dayaratna, an analyst at IDC, told The New Stack. “Frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch, along with libraries like Hugging Face’s Transformers, continued to dominate the generative AI developer ecosystem, enabling developers to expediently build and deploy advanced solutions in areas like natural language processing, computer vision, and generative model training,” he said. “Python’s simplicity and integration with diverse data science tools allowed for rapid prototyping and deployment, ensuring its position as the preferred language for organizations building next-generation AI applications.”
C++ and Java Battling It Out
Meanwhile, aside from the Python award, two other interesting things happened in the TIOBE index top 10 in 2024, Jansen wrote.
“The C language lost a lot of popularity and was surpassed by C++ and Java. The main reason for this is that C is replaced by C++ in a lot of embedded software systems. Java and C++ are currently fighting for the top 2 position,” he wrote. “The other interesting thing is that PHP said a final farewell to the top 10 and is replaced by Go, which is a top 10 keeper.”
Rust, Kotlin and More
Jansen also said both Rust and Kotlin have caught the eye of many developers with Rust gaining popularity. Rust sits at number 14 on the TIOBE index and Kotlin is number 25.
However, “Despite the amazing speed of Rust programs, its steep learning curve will never make it become the lingua franca of the common programmer unfortunately,” Jansen wrote. “Kotlin, on the other hand, disappointed: it didn’t break through and even lost (possibly permanently) its top 20 position in 2024.”
Moreover, Jansen said two new promising languages have emerged — Rust’s competitor Zig climbed from #149 to #61 in 2024, whereas Mojo, the faster Python, jumped from position #194 to #68.
“Mojo, which was first released only 2 years ago, addresses exactly what is needed in the programming field,” he wrote. “I have high hopes that it will get close to a top 20 position in 2025.”
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