Kotlin, Swift, and Ruby have all experienced a notable decline in popularity, slipping from their stable positions within the top 20 on the Tiobe Programming Community index. According to Tiobe CEO Paul Jansen, these once-popular languages seem to be losing traction, signaling a potential fade from the limelight. As of April 2025, Ruby, Kotlin, and Swift are ranked 24th, 25th, and 26th, respectively, a drop that highlights the shifting landscape of programming language trends.
The decline in rankings is largely attributed to the evolving needs of the mobile development sector. Kotlin and Swift, which were previously favored for Android and iOS app development respectively, have seen competition from other languages and frameworks that support cross-platform development more effectively. This shift is reducing the reliance on Kotlin and Swift, as developers turn to alternative options that cater to multiple platforms with greater ease. Meanwhile, Ruby, once a top contender, now faces an uphill battle as Python’s dominance in the programming world continues to expand.
Jansen points out that the consolidation happening in the programming language landscape is part of a broader trend. As of the April 2025 index, the top 20 languages account for a staggering 83.56% of the market share, a significant increase from the typical 75%. This consolidation suggests that the programming community is becoming more defensive, leaning toward well-established, reliable technologies rather than experimenting with newer or niche languages. The dominance of languages like Python, which has become ubiquitous across fields, contributes to the shrinking space for languages like Ruby.
The Tiobe index tracks programming language popularity based on several key factors, including the number of skilled engineers, available courses, and third-party vendors associated with each language. The rankings are derived from data collected from a variety of sources, including Google, Wikipedia, Bing, and Amazon. This comprehensive approach ensures that the Tiobe index provides an accurate reflection of the current trends in the programming world, shedding light on which languages are thriving and which are slipping out of favor.