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These are apparently the most popular coding languages around – with an old favourite taking top spot

October 2, 2024
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New research from online developer community Stack Overflow has revealed the most popular programming languages its 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 these languages have dominated the programming landscape for some time now.

Bash/Shell (39%), TypeScript (37%), C# (34%), Java (22%), C++ (21%) and PowerShell (18%) rounded up the list of the top 10 most commonly used languages among UK respondents.

Despite JavaScript’s dominance, the survey highlighted a shift in preferences for the future, with Python coming out as the language that developers are most eager to use. More than two in five (43%) said that Python would be their top choice over the next 12 months.

The language has a reputation for being easy to learn, but it’s also versatile, well suited to automation and works across a variety of platforms.

Only 40% of developers intend on continuing using JavaScript, which could be a sign of its demise.

The study also placed the UK on a scale of more than 65,000 global respondents, highlighting that British developers typically have one more year of coding experience compared with US respondents, and two more than Canadian developers.

Besides analyzing current trends, the study also looks at the future of programming both in terms of developer interest and demand, uncovering areas for personal development that could prove lucrative for programmers.

Stack Overflow uncovered decreasing median salaries across many popular languages. Nim, Erlang and Apex were the only three to attract a higher salary in 2024 compared with 2023, which indicates potential future growth due to increasing demand.

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