Top programming languages of 2020

WakaTime has released its data on the most-used programming languages, code editors, and operating systems for 2020.

In contrast to indices such as PYPL and TIOBE, WakaTime’s ranking is based on the number of hours developers have spent coding in a programming language.

WakaTime is a service that lets developers measure their programming time. According to Wakatime, over 250,000 programmers use its open-source plugins to get metrics about the time they spend in their code editor.

The data it gathered during 2020 showed that JavaScript is the top language by number of development hours, though it has seen a steep decline since last year.

Similarly, while Mac remained the top platform by developer hours logged, it is in sharp decline.

This echoes anecdotal evidence from IT professionals who have started moving away from MacBook Pros as their hardware of choice for a variety of reasons — including poorer price-to-performance, lower limits in the amount of RAM that can be installed compared to non-Apple laptops, and Apple’s decision to drop Intel CPUs in favor of ARM-based processors.

WakaTime’s data also showed that the VS Code has enjoyed a meteoric rise as the code editor of choice among programmers who use its time tracking service.

It’s worth noting that WakaTime’s statistics are biased towards the demographics of its users and may not represent the developer community at large.

For example, WakaTime’s data may favor programmers who have a need to measure their working hours to generate invoices for clients or fill in timesheets.

Similarly, the PYPL and TIOBE indices are biased according to how they gather data.

According to PYPL, the top three languages in the world as of January 2021 are Python, Java, and JavaScript.

TIOBE, on the other hand, rates C, Java, and Python as the top three languages in the world. JavaScript is ranked seventh — after C++, C#, and Visual Basic.

How rankings are calculated
  • Wakatime — Measures coding time for programmers that use its open-source plugins.
  • PYPL — The more a language tutorial is searched, the more popular the language is assumed to be. The raw data comes from Google Trends.
  • TIOBE — The ratings are based on the number of skilled engineers worldwide, courses, and third-party vendors. Popular search engines are also used to calculate the ratings.
  • Top programming languages of 2020 – Wakatime


    Top code editors of 2020 — Wakatime

    Top operating systems among programmers for 2020 — Waketime

    Now read: Why programming language C is rising in popularity