The October 2025 TIOBE Index saw a reshuffling beneath Python’s still-commanding lead. C moved ahead of C++ to reclaim the second spot, marking yet another turn in the race for the runner-up position. Meanwhile, SQL slipped back into the top 10 at tenth place, pushing Perl back out after its brief September comeback.
The TIOBE Programming Community Index tracks programming language popularity using search engine activity.
Shifts at the top
Python remains firmly in first place, though its rating dipped from 25.98% in September to 24.45% in October, a 1.53-point decline. Even so, it remains far ahead of the competition and is up 2.55% year over year.
C rose from 8.65% to 9.29%, moving from third to second place, while C++ slipped to third despite a small uptick to 8.84%. Java held its ground at fourth at 8.35%. The gap among the top three remains exceptionally narrow, continuing a pattern of month-to-month jockeying.
A fierce battle for second place
As TIOBE Software CEO Paul Jansen noted, C, C++, and Java have been separated by less than one percentage point for more than a year.
He links C’s return to second to growing C23 adoption, while Java 25 and work on C++26 keep the field fluid. C#, currently at 6.94%, has narrowed its distance from about four points earlier this year to 1.4%, positioning it as a potential challenger.
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Stability below the top four
While the top of the leaderboard saw movement, the lower ranks were largely stable. JavaScript and Visual Basic stayed in sixth and seventh place with 3.41% and 3.22%, respectively. Go held eighth at 1.92%. Delphi/Object Pascal inched up to 1.86% at ninth place.
SQL returned to the leaderboard at tenth with 1.77%, underscoring the resilience of established languages. Perl, which briefly resurfaced in September, slipped back out of the top 10.
Second place is still anyone’s game
The top spot remains comfortably in Python’s hands, but the real contest is just beneath it. With version updates and narrowing margins, the fight for second is intensifying, and C#’s steady advance adds another layer to the competition.
As Jansen put it, this race is far from over. Keep your seat belts fastened.
Meanwhile, a new lawsuit from New York City against several social platforms highlights growing scrutiny of their influence on young users.