--- title: Rust is now one of the most popular languages in the world description: Rust has officially entered the top 10 most popular programming languages on the TIOBE index for the first time, jumping from 18th to 10th place between July... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/rust-is-now-one-of-the-most-popular-languages-in-the-world-ac9w2ioqj twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Rust is now one of the most popular languages in the world | daily.dev og:description: Rust has officially entered the top 10 most popular programming languages on the TIOBE index for the first time, jumping from 18th to 10th place between July... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/rust-is-now-one-of-the-most-popular-languages-in-the-world-ac9w2ioqj og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/AC9w2iOqj.png og:image:alt: Rust is now one of the most popular languages in the world og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Rust is now one of the most popular languages in the world **[Let's Get Rusty](https://daily.dev/sources/letsgetrusty)** · 4 min read · 63 upvotes · 8 comments ## Summary Rust has officially entered the top 10 most popular programming languages on the TIOBE index for the first time, jumping from 18th to 10th place between July 2025 and July 2026. The post contextualizes this milestone against broader language trends: C and C++ are declining, Java is trending down steeply, Python dominates at #1 driven by the AI boom, and Rust is rising as a replacement for C/C++ in performance-critical AI infrastructure and libraries. The author argues Rust's growth is driven by demand for safe, secure, and performant systems software in AI, robotics, and backend tooling, and expects the upward trend to continue. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Did Rust become a top 10 most popular programming language? Yes, according to the Toby index, Rust rose from 18th place to 10th place in the year leading up to July 2026, making it one of the ten most popular programming languages measured by that ranking for the first time. The Toby index has tracked language popularity for two decades using search results, courses, and skilled engineer counts. _Developers tracking where Rust and systems languages are headed can follow trend coverage like this on daily.dev._ ### Why are companies rewriting Python library backends from C or C++ into Rust? Companies are rewriting the low-level, performance-critical code that powers Python libraries into Rust because they want that code to be reliable, secure, and performant, especially as AI infrastructure and tooling scales up. Polars is cited as a popular example of a project whose C/C++ codebase was converted to Rust for these reasons. _Anyone deciding whether to adopt Rust for performance-critical code can weigh examples like this on daily.dev._ ### Are C and C++ becoming less popular as programming languages? Yes, both C and C++ have been trending downward in popularity for a long time based on the Toby index, despite a modest uptick in C++ popularity since 2022 that has not reversed the overall downward trend. Java shows an even steeper decline since 2000, while JavaScript has stayed roughly flat with only a slight upward trend over two decades. _Engineers weighing systems language choices can track shifts like these on daily.dev._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@abhiroop43** · 9 upvotes > Given the amount of noise generated by tech "influencers" online for Rust, I assumed it was no. 1. Btw C moved up from no. 3 to no. 2 overtaking C++. Java and C# are stable at no. 4 and no. 5 respectively. > > > [Here ](https://www.tiobe.com/tiobe-index/)are the rankings, if anyone is interested in facts over fiction. **@hexapaws** · 4 upvotes > CONGRADULATIONS RUST :D **@akashskypatel** · 3 upvotes > I still haven't hoped onto the rust bandwagon. I don't know what the hype is. But then again, I don't do very much low level programming. 🤷 **@andriusran** · 3 upvotes > For me, I also feel this power. As i was interested in Rust, but in my work exp as Sr. SE never had an order for this language just my own tests how it works and how it can handle heavy loads ... and in 2026 our company [Byteran.com](http://Byteran.com) instantly had 3 orders for Rust systems, woow amazing. > and also some with GO :) so now i can compare Go vs Rust in similar fields of work **@ahmetozel** · 3 upvotes > Rust's strongest path in AI may be the data plane rather than model experimentation: tokenizers, parsers, vector indexes, inference gateways, and latency-critical preprocessing. TIOBE alone does not prove production adoption, so I would also watch OSS dependency graphs, job requirements, and which hot paths are actually being rewritten. In practice, a Python control plane with carefully profiled Rust components is often a better migration path than a full rewrite. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Rust language rises to top 10 in Tiobe popularity index](https://daily.dev/posts/rust-language-rises-to-top-10-in-tiobe-popularity-index-jm9lq9em9) · InfoWorld · 11 upvotes · 1 comments - [Software taketh away faster than hardware giveth: Why C\+\+ programmers keep growing fast despite competition, safety, and AI](https://daily.dev/posts/software-taketh-away-faster-than-hardware-giveth-why-c-programmers-keep-growing-fast-despite-comp-qzv1ihirv) · Sutter's Mill · 55 upvotes · 5 comments - [The State of Rust Ecosystem 2025](https://daily.dev/posts/the-state-of-rust-ecosystem-2025-lyg98dmro) · JetBrains · 27 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#python](https://daily.dev/tags/python), [#rust](https://daily.dev/tags/rust) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/rust-is-now-one-of-the-most-popular-languages-in-the-world-ac9w2ioqj) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Rust is now one of the most popular languages in the world","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/rust-is-now-one-of-the-most-popular-languages-in-the-world-ac9w2ioqj","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/rust-is-now-one-of-the-most-popular-languages-in-the-world-ac9w2ioqj"},"datePublished":"2026-07-14T15:11:38.730Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T08:14:40.141Z","description":"Rust has officially entered the top 10 most popular programming languages on the TIOBE index for the first time, jumping from 18th to 10th place between July...","image":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/meq4FxGvJCc/sddefault.jpg","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/meq4FxGvJCc/sddefault.jpg","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Let's Get Rusty","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Let's Get Rusty","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--iqd05ejH--/f_auto/v1725035314/logos/letsgetrusty","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/letsgetrusty"},"commentCount":8,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/rust-is-now-one-of-the-most-popular-languages-in-the-world-ac9w2ioqj","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":63},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":8}],"keywords":"python,rust","timeRequired":"PT4M","video":{"@type":"VideoObject","name":"Rust is now one of the most popular languages in the world","description":"Rust has officially entered the top 10 most popular programming languages on the TIOBE index for the first time, jumping from 18th to 10th place between July...","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/meq4FxGvJCc/sddefault.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-07-14T15:11:38.730Z","duration":"PT4M","url":"https://api.daily.dev/r/AC9w2iOqj","embedUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/meq4FxGvJCc"}} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Let's Get Rusty","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/letsgetrusty"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Rust is now one of the most popular languages in the world"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/rust-is-now-one-of-the-most-popular-languages-in-the-world-ac9w2ioqj","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","text":"Given the amount of noise generated by tech “influencers” online for Rust, I assumed it was no. 1. Btw C moved up from no. 3 to no. 2 overtaking C++. Java and C# are stable at no. 4 and no. 5 respectively.\nHere are the rankings, if anyone is interested in facts over fiction.","datePublished":"2026-07-15T03:49:01.106Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/AC9w2iOqj#c-ALSP6qE52","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Abhiroop Santra","url":"https://daily.dev/abhiroop43","image":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/5673129?v=4"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":9}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"CONGRADULATIONS RUST :D","datePublished":"2026-07-14T22:52:12.594Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/AC9w2iOqj#c-eOCMMyqUN","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"HexaPaws","url":"https://daily.dev/hexapaws","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--tvr4YO6b--/f_auto/v1784860169/avatars/avatar_H0URpju3ND0pkrjj1i1mE?_a=BAMAMicg0"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":4}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"I still haven’t hoped onto the rust bandwagon. I don’t know what the hype is. But then again, I don’t do very much low level programming. 🤷","datePublished":"2026-07-15T19:08:15.506Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/AC9w2iOqj#c-cnaYu1OUp","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Akash","url":"https://daily.dev/akashskypatel","image":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/8129618?v=4"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":3}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"For me, I also feel this power. As i was interested in Rust, but in my work exp as Sr. SE never had an order for this language just my own tests how it works and how it can handle heavy loads … and in 2026 our company Byteran.com instantly had 3 orders for Rust systems, woow amazing.\nand also some with GO :) so now i can compare Go vs Rust in similar fields of work","datePublished":"2026-07-15T10:47:31.162Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/AC9w2iOqj#c-9q00zdEU6","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Andrius Ran","url":"https://daily.dev/andriusran","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocJOGoiBb_IdP2GfozRuxP3EKyPS10gNF-Wz8N1HXOTpDwAUYmk=s96-c"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":3}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"Rust’s strongest path in AI may be the data plane rather than model experimentation: tokenizers, parsers, vector indexes, inference gateways, and latency-critical preprocessing. TIOBE alone does not prove production adoption, so I would also watch OSS dependency graphs, job requirements, and which hot paths are actually being rewritten. In practice, a Python control plane with carefully profiled Rust components is often a better migration path than a full rewrite.","datePublished":"2026-07-16T00:57:30.654Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/AC9w2iOqj#c-Pic78dClg","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Ahmet Özel","url":"https://daily.dev/ahmetozel","image":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/70992231?v=4"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":3}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/rust-is-now-one-of-the-most-popular-languages-in-the-world-ac9w2ioqj#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Did Rust become a top 10 most popular programming language?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, according to the Toby index, Rust rose from 18th place to 10th place in the year leading up to July 2026, making it one of the ten most popular programming languages measured by that ranking for the first time. The Toby index has tracked language popularity for two decades using search results, courses, and skilled engineer counts. Developers tracking where Rust and systems languages are headed can follow trend coverage like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why are companies rewriting Python library backends from C or C++ into Rust?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Companies are rewriting the low-level, performance-critical code that powers Python libraries into Rust because they want that code to be reliable, secure, and performant, especially as AI infrastructure and tooling scales up. Polars is cited as a popular example of a project whose C/C++ codebase was converted to Rust for these reasons. Anyone deciding whether to adopt Rust for performance-critical code can weigh examples like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Are C and C++ becoming less popular as programming languages?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, both C and C++ have been trending downward in popularity for a long time based on the Toby index, despite a modest uptick in C++ popularity since 2022 that has not reversed the overall downward trend. Java shows an even steeper decline since 2000, while JavaScript has stayed roughly flat with only a slight upward trend over two decades. Engineers weighing systems language choices can track shifts like these on daily.dev."}}]} ```