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There was no single definitive “most commonly-used programming language” in 2023: popularity can mean what developers say they use, what appears in open-source repositories, which languages are growing fastest, or how a ranking combines several signals. Among the two usage sources examined here, JavaScript led both—but their populations and methods differ, so the results are best read as distinct snapshots, not a universal winner or a measure of hiring demand.
What were the top programming languages in 2023?
The clearest shared finding is that JavaScript led the usage measures reported by Stack Overflow and GitHub. Beyond that, the order changed with the method: Python moved ahead of SQL in Stack Overflow’s respondent survey, while TypeScript moved ahead of Java in GitHub’s open-source project ranking.
| Source and signal | What ranked highly | What the result represents |
|---|---|---|
| Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2023: respondent-reported language use | JavaScript was the most commonly used language for the eleventh consecutive year; Python passed SQL for third place. | Answers from survey respondents, with separate comparisons for all respondents, professional developers, and people learning to code. Stack Overflow’s survey results |
| GitHub Octoverse 2023: language activity across GitHub projects | JavaScript remained first; TypeScript passed Java for third place across open-source projects. | Project and contributor activity on GitHub, not all software development worldwide. GitHub’s Octoverse report |
GitHub summarized its own result this way: “JavaScript has once again taken the crown for the #1 most popular language, and we continue to see familiar languages, such as Python and Java, remain in the top five languages year over year.” That statement describes GitHub’s platform evidence; it is not a claim that every index or developer population had the same ranking.
Which programming languages were developers using, by experience level?
Stack Overflow’s 2023 survey shows why an overall list can obscure meaningful differences. Among respondents learning to code, Python use was reported by 59%, compared with 37% for SQL. Among professional developers, the pattern reversed: 52% reported SQL use and 45% Python use. These are percentages of survey respondents in each group, not estimates of job openings or workforce-wide adoption.
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The language-use question received 87,585 responses, according to the survey’s technology section. Stack Overflow’s June 2023 press release rounded the overall survey scale to about 90,000 responses across 185 countries; that overall count is not the denominator for every question. Stack Overflow’s survey announcement
Which languages were growing fastest?
Growth is a momentum signal, not the same thing as current prevalence. GitHub reported that TypeScript’s user base grew 37%, Rust grew 40% year over year, and HCL adoption grew 36% year over year in its 2023 reporting. These figures concern activity on GitHub and should not be compared directly with Stack Overflow respondent percentages.
GitHub also found that Kotlin, Rust, Go, and Lua had stronger growth among projects created in 2023 than in overall GitHub usage. That distinction matters: a language can gain ground among newly created repositories without having the largest installed base across all projects.
Rank #3
What did developers say about Rust?
Rust stood out in two different ways. Stack Overflow reported that more than 80% of Rust users wanted to use it again the following year, a measure of enthusiasm among survey respondents who used it. GitHub reported 40% year-over-year growth for Rust on its platform. Neither statistic demonstrates that Rust is the best fit for every project; suitability depends on the work, team experience, ecosystem, and constraints.
Why do programming-language rankings disagree?
Rankings answer different questions when they use different populations, signals, coverage, and time windows. Stack Overflow asked people what they use. GitHub analyzed activity on its platform. IEEE Spectrum combined eight metrics into a weighted ranking, with data gathered manually in June and July 2023. Its methodology says it sampled results where necessary, normalized the metrics, applied weights, and renormalized the combined score; it also acknowledges that choosing weights is subjective. IEEE Spectrum’s 2023 methodology
Rank #4
- Population: survey respondents, professional developers, learners, GitHub contributors, or creators of new projects are not interchangeable groups.
- Signal: reported use, repository activity, growth, and desire to use a language again measure different things.
- Coverage: Stack Overflow’s survey is international but not a census. Respondents were recruited primarily through Stack Overflow-owned channels—including onsite messaging, its blog and newsletter, banner ads, and social posts—so people highly engaged with Stack Overflow were more likely to encounter it.
- Time window: a survey’s reporting period, a year-over-year growth figure, and a ranking built from data collected in June–July 2023 do not describe precisely the same moment or period.
For those reasons, a rank should be reported with its source and measure. These 2023 results do not establish one cross-index “best” language, nor do they directly measure language-specific job demand.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to use the 2023 trends
If you are comparing languages, first decide what question you need answered: broad self-reported use, activity in public repositories, growth among new projects, developer enthusiasm, or relevance to a particular task. The 2023 evidence supports JavaScript as a leader in both of the directly examined usage sources, while Python, TypeScript, Rust, and others stand out under different measures. It does not substitute for evaluating the language, tools, and ecosystem required for your own project or learning goal.
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