Which Programming Language Dominated December 2020? TIOBE Ranking Revealed
Based on the December 2020 TIOBE Index, this article examines the top programming languages, highlighting C’s rise to the top spot, the shifting positions of Java and Python, detailed top‑10 and top‑50 lists, historical trends, and the year’s fastest‑gaining language.
Introduction
Earlier we introduced the DB‑Engines database ranking for the last month of the year. This article now presents the December 2020 programming language ranking compiled by the TIOBE Index, which aggregates search engine query volumes, social media mentions, and the number of courses, developers, and vendors associated with each language.
The ranking reflects the popularity and hotness of languages rather than a quality judgment, helping developers gauge whether they are keeping up with industry trends and which languages they should consider learning.
Top Ten
The top three positions are fiercely contested. C has taken the lead from Java, while Java has reclaimed second place by overtaking Python compared with the previous month. The gap between the top three and the rest is substantial.
Top Fifty
Within ranks 11‑20 the changes are especially volatile: Perl fell from 12 to 14, Assembly rose four places, and PL/SQL re‑entered the top‑20.
Top Hundred
The 51‑100 segment consists of less mainstream languages, listed as follows:
ABC, ActionScript, Applescript, AutoLISP, Awk, Bash, bc, Bourne shell, C shell, CL (OS/400), Clojure, CoffeeScript, Common Lisp, cT, Elixir, Elm, Emacs Lisp, Erlang, F#, Factor, Forth, Hack, Haskell, Icon, Inform, Io, J, Korn shell, Ladder Logic, Maple, Mercury, MQL4, NATURAL, OCaml, OpenCL, OpenEdge ABL, Oz, PL/I, Q, Raku, REXX, Ring, RPG, Smalltalk, SPARK, SPSS, Stata, Vala/Genie, VBScript, Verilog
Historical Performance
The long‑term TIOBE data shows C maintaining the top position for nearly half a century.
Language of the Year
Each year TIOBE also selects a “Language of the Year,” which is the language with the greatest upward movement in the index. For December 2020, Python showed a +1.90% increase, making it the likely candidate and the first language to win the award four times.
Below is a recap of previous “Language of the Year” winners:
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Programmer DD
A tinkering programmer and author of "Spring Cloud Microservices in Action"
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