The fast and memory-safe programming language Rust climbs back to the 13th spot in the Tiobe index, maintaining its 10th position in the Pypl index.
Rust, a fast and memory-safe programming language originally developed by Mozilla, has been steadily climbing the rankings in the monthly Tiobe index of programming language popularity. As of October, Rust has returned to 13th place, matching its highest position ever in the index. The language had previously hit 13th place in July but briefly slipped to 14th in August. Its continued rise is attributed to its emphasis on security and performance, making it an attractive choice for developers despite its steeper learning curve.
According to Paul Jansen, CEO of software quality services company Tiobe, Rust contrasts with the leading language Python. While Python is known for being easy to learn and secure, it doesn’t offer the same level of speed that Rust delivers. Jansen expressed confidence that Rust is on track to break into Tiobe’s top 10 in the near future, thanks to growing demand for languages that combine speed and security in system-level programming.
The Tiobe index ranks programming languages based on several factors, including the number of skilled developers, available courses, and third-party vendors. It gathers data from popular sources like Google, Amazon, Wikipedia, and Bing to calculate these ratings. Rust’s resurgence in the index reflects its increasing relevance, particularly in industries that prioritize safe and efficient code execution.
Meanwhile, Rust has already made its way into the top 10 of the Pypl (Popularity of Programming Language) index. Rust has held steady in the 10th position in Pypl’s rankings since April 2024. The Pypl index differs from Tiobe by measuring language popularity based on the frequency of searches for programming language tutorials on Google, which suggests strong interest from new learners and developers adopting Rust.
In addition to Rust’s steady rise, the Mojo programming language made its debut in the Tiobe top 50 for the first time in October, ranking 49th. Mojo is described as a hybrid of Python and Swift but offers significantly faster performance. Despite being just a year old, its appearance in the rankings signals a promising future for the language, according to Jansen.
Overall, the consistent performance of Rust in both the Tiobe and Pypl indices indicates that its focus on memory safety and speed is resonating with developers. As the demand for high-performance, secure programming continues to grow, Rust is poised to become even more popular in the coming years.