Programming language is the most important tool for software developers, that’s why among developers and novice programmers there is often an important question about what programming languages are in demand and which ones you should choose to learn in order to build a successful career and be a sought-after specialist through the years. In fact, each language is good in its own way, and you need to choose the language you want to work in: web development, writing code for mobile applications, game development, system programming, or desktop languages.

A programming language is a formal set of instructions or commands that are used to interact with a computer in the form of programs. They provide developers and programmers with a structured way to communicate with computers, allowing them to write programs, algorithms, scripts or applications.

The top popular programming languages today include Python, JavaScript, Java, Swift, and more. Each language has its own pros and cons, as well as the area of application, which diversifies their use in projects and tasks. Below is a ranking of the languages.

Python

Python tops the programming language rankings, recognized for its versatility and speed of development. It has been continuously climbing the programming language charts over the last few years. It is considered a useful language for working with AI, and statistically it is the third most popular language after JavaScript and HTML/CSS.

JavaScript

In 2023, JavaScript was ranked number one by StackOverflow, and this year it will also gain the status of one of the most sought-after languages among developers. Today, prominent companies that work in JavaScript include Google, Facebook, eBay, PayPal, and Uber, among others. Android, iOS or desktop JavaScript is present almost everywhere and its popularity will definitely increase this year.

Java

Since its inception in 1995, this language has shown reliable and consistent performance. A survey of 14 million developers conducted earlier placed Java as the third most in-demand programming language. Today, it has more than one million repositories on Github. Java is widely used in areas ranging from web development to cloud computing, Internet of Things applications and large-scale enterprise tools. It is generally regarded as a language that provides excellent job security.

C and C++

While Python and JavaScript are fairly easy to learn, C and C++ are known for being the fastest. Creating low-level components such as operating systems, file systems, embedded systems, and kernel development is often done using C or C++ programming languages. Almost all innovative and widely used programming languages today have inherited properties characteristic of C and C++.