December’s TIOBE Index closes the year with a steady upper tier and a few late surprises in the lower ranks.
Python remains ahead at 23.64%, while the familiar chase group behind it holds steady for the moment. The real movement comes deeper in the list, where SQL edges upward, R rises to the top 10, and Delphi/Object Pascal slips away.
The TIOBE Programming Community Index tracks the popularity of programming languages using search engine data.
A quiet month at the front
Python’s slight month-to-month dip in November reverses, keeping its lead untouchable. C stays in second at 10.11%, gaining roughly a point and widening the margin it built late in the fall.
C++ remains third at 8.95% despite a -1.87% pullback, and Java holds fourth at 8.70%, also down -1.02%. C# stays in fifth at 7.26%, posting the month’s strongest increase in the upper ranks with +2.39%, continuing its longer-term climb even without a change in position.
The middle holds steady
JavaScript remains in sixth at 2.96%, posting a –1.66% decline consistent with the slow cooling it has seen throughout the year. Meanwhile, Visual Basic holds seventh place at 2.81% after a +0.85% rise. With neither move large enough to shift rankings, the mid-tier remains the most predictable part of the December index.
R steps into the mix as the lower ranks shift
The more noticeable shifts appear in the last three spots. SQL climbs from tenth to eighth at 2.10%, adding a small +0.11% that’s enough to move it upward in a tightly packed section of the table. Perl holds ninth at 1.97%, strengthened by a +1.33% gain that extends its late-year resurgence.
R enters the top 10 at 1.96%, a return Paul Jansen links to renewed demand for statistical and analytical tooling. He notes that R “fits statisticians and data scientists like a glove,” which helps explain why it resurges whenever data-centric work accelerates. Its arrival pushes Delphi/Object Pascal out of the top 10, while Go remains outside for a second month.
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Looking ahead
Python’s dominance is already the 2026 baseline, but the race behind it is still closely packed. Small percentage-point swings continue to shift the balance among C, C++, Java, and C#, and R’s reappearance hints at broader momentum for data-first languages.
The coming months will show whether these December movements mark a turning point or simply the final reshuffle of the year.
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