Most Popular Programming Languages 1965 - 2022

Updated timeline of the most popular programming languages since 1965 to 2022. Aggregation of multiple national surveys plus a world wide publications rate of occurrence. Popularity is defined by percentage of programmers with either proficiency in specific language or currently learning/mastering one.

As always your feedback is welcome.

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I am a first year PhD student, data geek and I love visualizations.
2022 UPDATE: I am now officially a program drop out and father of beautiful girl.

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[DataIsBeautifulOfficial]

Roses are red, 'Super Thanks' works just fine
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[spectrm]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how C has been in the chart since the 70s till the modern era of programming?

[madhououinkyoma]

The Programming Wars

The Era of Fortran (pre-1965 to 1980)
The Rise of Pascal (1980 to 1985)
The C and Ada Wars (1985 to 1987)
The Absolute Reign of C (1987 to 2001)
The Ascent of the Javas (2001 to 2018)
The Python Empire (2018 and beyond)

[George]

I wrote my first program in 1962. Knew every language on the list until 2000. It has been quite the 60 years. Been an instructor through professor. Programmer to systems analyst. A few years teaching, a few years doing; rinse and repeat.

[donaldwycoff]

I've been paid to work in C and C++ since the mid 80's. My career as a software developer probably would never have started if it wasn't for Turbo C and Turbo C++. At the time, they said Ada was going to be the One Language to Rule Them All. The dean at my college said we should consider other professions because by 1990, computers would be writing all the software; and Artificial Intelligence would never work commercially. Today (last couple weeks) I was told C and C++ are dead, and RUST is the new One Language To Rule Them All. Yeah, once again, we got "Sauron's Ring" salesman again. Anyway, I could list all the languages I have been paid to program in, but funny thing: programming languages each have their Big Day. And eventually most programming languages fail to deliver once the hype wears off. I'm amazed C and C++ have lasted so long, and I'm glad they have. C++ is my absolute favorite, and for better or worse, C and C++ have delivered a hell of a lot. Due to its complexity, I don't think young devs will get the opportunity to master C++ in a fun/meaningful way. Could be I'm the end of the line. On the other hand, C and C++ are still here, and we've had quite a number "Sauron's Ring" languages wax and wane in that period. Maybe C and C++ will stick around kind of like the Tooth Fairy. Even COBOL still pays well for the extremely few people who mastered it. For the record, I've never been paid to work in COBOL, and that was a personal choice. Could never get into that language.

[jamesflynn]

How amazing that some programming languages are so old and are still in regular use today.

[willgordge]

If you account for the fact that python, c++, java, and so many other are C-family languages, that all major operating systems are written in C, and that C is used in 90% of embedded systems, it goes to show how it is truly, undisputedly, the greatest and most important programming language ever created. Viva C.

[StalkedByLosers]

I remember I took over an internship in 2005 from a previous intern. The sponsors asked me to write it in their preferred Java based language which I had a course under my belt already. They said the previous intern did good but it was in a language they never heard of or could understand called Python. This was back in 2005.
Fast forward 10 years after spending most my career in firmware C and some C++ for desktop apps I dove into Python because how easy it was and it was the ONLY way I could get OpenCV to install amd actually work. My Python got me a new job at a namebrand company, and that got me my job today. In 7 years my salary is now 200% what it was and I don't regret my Python transition today one bit. I still think about that intern that was using Python v1 for her internship deliverable, she probably makes way more than me. If she is reading this I want to say ;Hey sorry for making fun of you.

[timetraveler_]

BASIC - When more and more kids started learning programming
C - That's all we got for seriously fast work
C++ - I'm done with pointers
Java - When they realized you can write once and run it on any device
PHP - World Wide Web is the future!
Python - When the scientific community started coding
JavaScript - When bootcamp trained frontend 'devs' entered the game

[timlocke]

I hadn't realized how popular Pascal was and for how long before C took off. Ada too.

[chrisn_]

PL/1 was the first language I ever learned, in the late 1970s. Surprised it didn't make it into the list, as IIRC it originated at IBM and was quite widely used. The version I used allowed you to descend into Assembler within the PL/1 source. With a macro pre-processor and pointers, it was very powerful and expressive.

[ahndeux]

VBA has been underrated. Its practically on every office PC computer. Most use it with macros and don't even know it.

[blasm]

The most popular programming language is still DNA.

[Malbeur]

So interesting. I started programming in 2010, and the first three languages I learned were the top three most popular at the time (Java, JavaScript, and PHP). My dad learned in the mid 80s and he was taught Pascal, the most popular of his time. We are products of our time.

[sorensolveig]

In 1985 my college required FORTRAN for engineering majors (#5 in the list at the time) but nearly all students (including I) also took an elective for "C" (which was #1 in the list at the time). Very interesting how these languages evolved over time.

[raineyjayy]

I'm so glad this channel is back making content. Data is so good

[duaneg]

Beautiful and instructive animation. Would be perfect to cite the multiple surveys used as data sets.

[xxXCrysXavXxx]

I have none knowledge about programming but i understand the power of language to build a civilization. You "IT guys" changed the world and still changing.

[Soleryth]

I really love your graphs they're wonderful !
I used to watch the previous one and was amazed to see you did a new one :)
May I ask if there is a source we can read to keep updated about these changes or you did the stats yourself for the video ?

[rhymereason]

I'm an old dinosaur... when I started my career we still programmed sort machines with patch boards and wires. If you needed your input sorted in a certain order before running your program, you needed to run the data cards thru the sorter first before using them as program input. I remember the excitement of our shop getting it's first IBM 3270 terminal and CICS software to be able to write and store programs electronically instead of punching them out on cards and storing them in file drawers. The senior programmers hogged that terminal up and didn't let us junior programmers use it. I worked on the first generation of supermarket bar code POS systems... did the systems programming, application programming, and field service tech work with them. Back then they ran a whole supermarket on a store controller with a 5M disk! We downloaded data to all the stores at night over a 2400 baud modem... took all night. Whole corporations used to be run on an IBM 360/370 with 16M of core... and probably one string of 8 DASD 3350 drives with 500M a piece, and a few 2400 series tape drives.