Why Classic Languages Still Dominate the TIOBE Top 10 in 2025
The July 2025 TIOBE Index reveals that Python, C, C++, Java, C#, JavaScript and Go hold the top seven spots for the third year, while legacy languages such as Visual Basic, SQL, Fortran, Ada, Perl and Delphi fiercely contest the 8‑12 positions, highlighting the resilience of established languages despite newer alternatives.
2025 TIOBE July Ranking Overview
The TIOBE Index for July 2025 shows the top‑ten programming languages, with Python, C, C++, Java, C#, JavaScript and Go holding the first seven positions for the third consecutive year.
Positions 8‑12 are fiercely contested by legacy languages: Visual Basic, SQL, Fortran, Ada, Perl and Delphi, which continue to battle for a spot in the top ten.
Why newer languages miss the top ten
Despite strong safety features, modern appeal and ecosystem support, languages such as Rust, Kotlin, Dart (with Flutter) and Julia have not broken into the top‑ten, largely because the established “first camp” remains entrenched.
Python’s surge
Python’s market share jumped to 26.98 %, widening the gap with the second‑place C++ by more than 17 %. Its drawbacks—slow execution speed and high‑level abstraction—are offset by its ease of use, rich libraries, active community, and status as the de‑facto language for AI and data analysis.
“A feature written in Python can be executed by C++ before you finish typing a line.”
Even with performance concerns, Python’s popularity continues to grow, leading many to wonder whether it will eventually dominate the programming landscape.
Current Top‑10 Languages (July 2025)
Python, C++, C, Java, C#, JavaScript, Go, Visual Basic, Ada, Delphi/Object Pascal.
Ranks 11‑20
Visual Basic, SQL, Fortran, Ada, Perl, Delphi continue to vie for higher positions.
Ranks 21‑50
Includes a wide range of languages such as ActionScript, Algol, Alice, Apex, APL, B4X, CFML, CHILL, Clipper, CLIPS, Clojure, Curl, Eiffel, Elm, Erlang, F#, Forth, Groovy, Hack, Icon, Inform, Io, JScript, Ladder Logic, Logo, Modula‑2, Mojo, MQL5, NATURAL, Nim, OCaml, Occam, OpenCL, PL/I, Q, Racket, Raku, Ring, S, Scheme, Smalltalk, SPARK, Stata, Tcl, Transact‑SQL, Vala/Genie, VHDL, Wolfram, Xojo, Zig.
Historical Rankings (1988‑2025)
Charts illustrate the evolution of language popularity over the past decades.
Language “Hall of Fame” (2003‑2024)
Visual representations of the most influential languages during this period.
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