The latest May 2026 listing does not contain huge surprises, as Python continues as the completely dominant number one, as it has for a long time.
Even after Python, the listing is very similar from month to month, meaning C, C++, and Java also remain firmly in the top four - although this time C++ has dropped a couple of places from a year ago, allowing C and Java to overtake it.
The biggest change was seen in the rise of the R language, which climbed as many as four places from a year ago, to position 8. According to TIOBE's assessment, R and Python are capturing the statistical computing market, and other programming languages used in statistics are losing their positions.
TIOBE's listing of the ten most popular programming languages in May 2026:
- Python
- C
- Java
- C++
- C#
- JavaScript
- Visual Basic
- R
- SQL
- Delphi/Object Pascal
TIOBE's listing is based on publicly known skill distribution of people who program for a living, available courses, and third-party sources. The full TIOBE listing can be found here.
Also in another listing that measures popularity using different methods, namely PYPL, Python holds the dominant top spot, and its popularity has only strengthened in PYPL's statistics compared to a year ago.
Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 21 May 2026 5:27
