What the September 2019 TIOBE & PYPL Rankings Reveal About Python’s Rise

2019 September Programming Language Rankings Overview

TIOBE recently released its September 2019 programming language index, showing notable shifts: Python climbed to third place, Java remains first, and C++ dropped by 1.76%.

Top 10 Rankings

Java

C

Python

C++

C#

Visual Basic .NET

JavaScript

SQL

PHP

Objective‑C

Python’s index increased by 2.22%, widening the gap with C++, while C# edged ahead of Visual Basic .NET to stay in the top five.

Python’s growing popularity has caused declines in other languages, notably R and especially Perl, which the TIOBE headline describes as “Perl is one of the victims of Python’s hype.” Perl now sits at rank 20, its historical low, down from rank 3 in 2005.

PYPL Ranking (September 2019)

The PYPL index ranks languages based on Google search frequency, using data from Google Trends. It serves as a reference for developers choosing which language or IDE to learn or use in new projects.

In September, the top five languages were Python, Java, JavaScript, C#, and PHP. Python’s share rose by 4.5% to 28.73%, surpassing Java’s 20.0% and JavaScript’s 8.35%.

Globally, Python remains the most popular language, gaining 18.2% share over the past five years, while Java lost the most (‑6.9%). Other rising languages include Rust, Go, TypeScript, and Kotlin, with Kotlin’s share stabilizing around 1.4%.

R and Perl have seen slight declines, with Perl at 0.58% (rank 19) and R at 3.92% (rank 7).

Long‑Term Trends (2002‑2018)

Historical charts illustrate the evolution of language popularity, noting that SQL re‑entered the TIOBE list in February 2018 and quickly rose to rank 9.

Top 5 Language Proportion Chart

Visual representation of the market share of the top five languages.

Java: Outlook and Salary

Java remains the most popular language among programmers. Its longevity (28 years) has produced extensive frameworks, standards, and open‑source components, facilitating rapid enterprise application development.

Enterprises favor Java for its ease of learning, security, portability, and rich ecosystem, leading to high demand for Java developers.

Java developers can command high salaries, with senior engineers earning 250k‑500k RMB annually and architects starting at 800k RMB.

C Language: Outlook

Often called “the mother of all programming languages,” C provides a strong foundation for learning other languages.

C++: Outlook and Salary

C++ is essential for game development, embedded systems, desktop applications, and operating system development, offering high performance.

Although not the most in‑demand language, C++ remains irreplaceable in its domains. The C++11 standard (released in 2011) boosted its popularity.

C++ salaries are competitive, with many positions offering attractive compensation.

Industry Salary Overview

Major tech companies offer generous compensation: Baidu, Alibaba (13‑18k RMB with 15‑month salary), and Tencent (16‑month salary plus substantial bonuses).

Overall, programming salaries are strong across languages; high pay correlates with mastering valuable technologies.

Important Note

The TIOBE Programming Community Index measures language popularity based on search engine data (Google, Bing, Wikipedia, Amazon, Baidu). It does not assess language quality but helps developers gauge skill relevance and make language choices for new projects.

Source: Original content from the internet.