Python continues to lead the rankings, while Swift, R, Rust, and Perl mark the most significant advances this month.
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R Matches Its Previous Best
In reaching the eighth spot in the TIOBE index for May, the R language has matched its record performance once again. This is a key takeaway from the latest ranking update, which measures the popularity of programming languages among developers each month. According to Paul Jansen, CEO of TIOBE Software, this rise is no coincidence. It signifies a “major consolidation” of the “statistical programming languages market”, with Python and R emerging as the “big winners”.
In recent months, several traditional languages have indeed lost ground, such as MATLAB, which is close to dropping out of the top 20, SAS, which is about to leave the top 30 for the first time since the index’s inception, or SPSS, which fell out of the top 100 last month. The newer language, Julia, despite its “solid technical merits and growing academic interest”, as Jansen contextualizes, also struggles to maintain a consistent position in the top 30.
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Today, the market for statistical programming is increasingly centered around two ecosystems: Python dominates the industry, machine learning, AI, and production systems, while R remains the reference environment in the academic world, research, epidemiology, and advanced statistical analysis.
Top 20 Programming Languages in May 2026
Beyond the breakthrough of R and the continued dominance of Python, which still saw a decline this month (-5.37% compared to May 2025), the May edition reveals some other interesting shifts. Most notably, the swapping of positions between C++ and Java, with Java climbing onto the podium. “Java has capitalized on the success of its version 26 to regain ground”, notes Paul Jansen. Swift also stands out by climbing five spots to reach the 18th position. Rust (+4) and Perl (+3) also show significant progress this month. The trend is less favorable for Go, which drops nine places.
Here are the top 20 programming languages most popular with developers in May 2026:
- Python (= same position as May 2025)
- C (+1)
- Java (+1)
- C++ (-2)
- C# (=)
- JavaScript (=)
- Visual Basic (+1)
- R (+4)
- SQL (+1)
- Delphi/Object Pascal (-1)
- Fortran (=)
- Scratch (+2)
- Perl (+3)
- PHP (+1)
- Rust (+4)
- Go (-9)
- Assembly language (+1)
- Swift (+5)
- Ada (-6)
- MATLAB
Access the complete ranking
TIOBE Index Ranking Criteria
Updated monthly, the TIOBE index does not rank programming languages based on their quality or overall use, but rather their popularity among developers. To measure this, TIOBE Software counts the volume of searches related to these languages on various platforms, from Google to Amazon and including Wikipedia and Bing. The company describes this ranking as a monitoring tool, useful for assessing the relevance of one’s skills or guiding the choice of a language for new projects.
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Jordan Park writes in-depth reviews and editorial opinion pieces for Touch Reviews. With a background in UI/UX design, Jordan offers a unique perspective on device usability and user experience across smartphones, tablets, and mobile software.