June brings another dip for Python, a familiar switch between C++ and Java, and a reshuffle near the bottom of the top 10. The bigger discussion, though, sits just outside the main table, with Paul Jansen now saying his earlier call on Rust may have been too cautious after the language reached its highest TIOBE ranking yet.
The TIOBE Programming Community Index tracks programming language popularity using search engine activity.
Python falls again, while C keeps second place
Python remains #1 at 18.96%, down from 19.98% in May. It still leads the index by a wide margin, but June continues the downward drift that has been building through 2026.
C stays second at 10.77%. Its rating is lower than last month’s, but the rank is unchanged, and it still has a comfortable cushion over the languages behind it.
C++ moves back ahead of Java
The closest contest near the top is once again between C++ and Java. C++ returns to #3 at 8.03%, while Java slips to #4 at 7.90%. The gap is only 0.13 percentage points, leaving plenty of room for another reversal in the months ahead.
C# remains fifth at 4.85%, and JavaScript stays sixth at 3.04%. The upper half of the table looks familiar, but the race between C++ and Java remains the most unsettled part of it.
SQL retakes eighth as R moves down one slot
Visual Basic holds seventh at 2.80%. The lower tier sees the main positional change: SQL rises to #8 at 1.77%, while R moves to #9 at 1.69%.
That reverses May’s order, when R climbed to eighth, and SQL sat ninth. Delphi/Object Pascal remains tenth at 1.54%, keeping the final top-10 slot for another month.
Rust makes Jansen rethink its trajectory
According to Jansen, Rust’s jump to #12 changes the picture from just two months ago, when he suggested the language might be leveling off after a full year without gaining rank. The new position is Rust’s highest ever in the TIOBE Index.
Performance, memory safety, and advanced abstractions keep Rust in the long-term conversation with C and C++. Adoption remains the main hurdle. Jansen said the language can be demanding for non-expert programmers, and that learning curve may limit how broad its audience becomes.
Still, the new high makes a top-10 breakthrough look more plausible than it did earlier this spring.
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