Is C# About to Overtake Java? Inside the Latest TIOBE Rankings

October’s TIOBE programming language index has been released, revealing notable shifts in the rankings.

C# may surpass Java, pushing Java toward rank 5

After December 2022, Java fell out of the top three for the first time, while C# has been climbing. In the Top 20, Java’s share dropped by 3.92%, whereas C# rose by 3.29%, leaving only a 1.2% gap. TIOBE predicts that if this trend continues, C# could overtake Java within two months.

Background of C#

Created in 2000 by Anders Hejlsberg, C# is an object‑oriented language built on the .NET Framework and .NET Core (now fully open‑source and cross‑platform).

Comparison of C# and Java

Both languages share many features: object‑oriented syntax, compilation to intermediate code, cross‑platform support, single inheritance with multiple interfaces, automatic garbage collection, and similar exception handling. However, C# differs by integrating Delphi‑style COM support, allowing array initialization with values, and offering preprocessor directives, goto statements, and other features.

Reasons for Java’s decline

Java’s popularity dip is partly due to Oracle’s shift to a paid licensing model after Java 8, while Microsoft made C# free and open‑source, attracting many developers.

Kotlin’s rise

Kotlin, a fully compatible competitor to Java, has gained traction, moving to rank 18 in the Top 20 this month.

Other programming languages (Ranks 21‑50)

4th Dimension/4D, ABC, ActionScript, Apex, APL, Ballerina, bc, CL (OS/400), Clean, Clipper, CLIPS, Clojure, Crystal, Curl, Eiffel, Elixir, Erlang, Forth, Groovy, Hack, Icon, IDL, Io, J, J#, LabVIEW, Ladder Logic, LiveCode, ML, Modula‑2, MQL5, NATURAL, Nim, OCaml, OpenEdge ABL, PL/I, PostScript, Pure Data, Q, Racket, Raku, REXX, RPG, Smalltalk, SPARK, SQR, Tcl, TOM, VHDL, Wolfram

Top 10 language trends (2002‑2023)

Historical rankings (1988‑2023)

Programming language “Hall of Fame” (2003‑2022)

The TIOBE index measures language popularity based on the number of engineers, courses, and third‑party vendors, using data from search engines and technical communities such as Google, Baidu, Wikipedia, CSDN, Bing, and others.

While the ranking reflects popularity, it does not indicate language quality or the amount of code written in each language.

Developers can use the index to gauge whether their skills are up‑to‑date and to help choose a language for new projects.

For detailed information, visit the official TIOBE website.