No—not in the latest year-over-year TIOBE comparison. In the September 2026 index, C# is fifth with a 4.22% rating, the same rank it held a year earlier; its rating is down 2.16 percentage points. The “surge” description fits C#’s recognition as TIOBE’s Programming Language of the Year in 2025 and 2023, but not its latest annual movement.
What the September 2026 TIOBE index says about C#
TIOBE Software BV’s September 2026 index places C# fifth at 4.22%. Compared with September 2025, C# has not changed rank, while its rating has fallen by 2.16 percentage points.
| Measure | C# in September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rank | 5th |
| Rating | 4.22% |
| Rank change versus September 2025 | Unchanged |
| Rating change versus September 2025 | -2.16 percentage points |
The rank and rating describe different things: rank is C#’s position relative to other languages in that month’s table; the rating is its share of the index’s calculated score. A language can retain its position even as its rating declines if the relative ordering does not change.
Why headlines say C# is surging
C# was named TIOBE’s Programming Language of the Year in both 2025 and 2023. TIOBE says the award goes to the language with the highest rise in ratings during a calendar year. That annual recognition is compatible with a later year-over-year decline: the award captures a particular year’s change, not a guarantee that ratings will keep rising in subsequent periods.
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So “C# is surging” needs a time frame. It can describe C#’s rise during an award-winning year; it does not accurately summarize the September 2026 rating compared with September 2025.
What TIOBE popularity measures—and what it does not
TIOBE chief executive Paul Jansen describes the index as “an indicator of the popularity of programming languages.” The September 2026 index says its ratings draw on estimates of skilled engineers worldwide, courses, and third-party vendors, as well as counts from Google, Amazon, Wikipedia, Bing, and more than 20 other websites.
Those signals make the index a measure of attention and presence across selected sources, not a census of production code or a direct count of developers using each language. TIOBE explicitly says the index is not about which language is best or which one has had the most lines of code written in it. A high position therefore does not establish that a language is best for a particular project, that it leads hiring, or that it is gaining users in every industry.
C#’s position over the longer term
TIOBE’s long-term average positions show C# near the top of the index across multiple snapshots, with some movement over time:
| Year | C# long-term average rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2006 | 7 |
| 2001 | 13 |
This history supports a measured conclusion: C# has maintained a strong position in TIOBE’s long-term averages and improved substantially from its 2001 position. It does not, by itself, show that C# is currently accelerating; the latest annual comparison is negative.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is C# still worth learning in 2026?
The September 2026 ranking alone cannot decide whether C# is the right language for you. It does show that C# remains fifth in this index, while its rating is lower than a year earlier. Treat that as one signal about visibility, not a verdict on a language’s practical fit or your career prospects.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Start with your goal: Choose based on the kind of software you want to build and the tools or language requirements in the roles you are targeting.
- Use more than a popularity rank: Check current job listings, project requirements, and the ecosystem relevant to your intended work; those answer different questions from TIOBE’s index.
- Interpret time frames carefully: An annual award, a monthly position, a year-over-year rating change, and a long-term average are distinct measures.
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