Python was the programming language king of 2020

coding
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Elle Aon)

Python has once again emerged as the programming language of the year.

In the latest survey from programming watchdogs TIOBE, the honor is awarded to the programming language that has gained the most popularity in the past year - with Python clinching the title for a record fourth year thanks to a usage jump of 2.01%.

Close on the heels of Python was C++, which recorded a jump of 1.99%, followed closely by C with 1.66%.

The TIOBE index ratings are updated every month based on a variety of parameters and are a good indication of the popularity of programming languages.

Numbers game

Despite recording the maximum gain, Python actually slipped down a spot in the overall rankings. 

Back in November 2020, the language had toppled Java for the second spot on the podium. However, in the latest January 2021 rankings, Python has slipped back to the third spot behind Java.

Meanwhile, C has once again become the most popular language for the month of January 2021. With a rating of 17.38%, the general-purpose, procedural computer programming language remains a favorite with developers, despite being in use for almost five decades.

TIOBE also highlighted the entry of two new languages in the top 10 after recording massive jumps in popularity. 

The first is the statistical language R that jumped from the 18th position to the 9th spot overall. It is followed by Groovy, the Java-syntax compatible scripting language, which has made the leap from position 23 to number 10.

The company also noted the emergence of the Julia programming language, which jumped from the 47th position to 23rd position in the space of 12 months, and expects it to break into the top 20 in 2021.

Via: TechRepublic

Mayank Sharma

With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he’s TechRadar Pro’s expert on the topic. Of course, he’s just as interested in other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.

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