The 18 Best Programming Languages to Learn in 2022

One of the most important skills to learn in today’s world is to know how to write a computer application/program. A programming language refers to the means of communication that is used by humans to instruct computers to perform specified tasks. These languages use particular coding syntax to create programs to perform specialized tasks.

One of the challenges for people pursuing a career in programming is deciding which languages to learn as new and better programming languages are added to the list every year. You don’t want to waste your time. If you’re going to put aside the time and energy needed to learn new programming languages, you want to make sure, without a doubt, that the ones you choose are the most in-demand programming languages on the market.

When we sat down to figure out what the most in-demand programming languages for 2022 might be, we had two primary research questions: Which languages are in demand right now and Which ones are growing in popularity and will be in demand soon. In this article, We will discuss the 18 Best Programming Languages to Learn in 2022.

1. Python

Python can be regarded as the future of programming languages.

As per the latest statistics, Python is the main coding language for around 80% of developers. The presence of extensive libraries in Python facilitates artificial intelligence, data science, and machine learning processes.

Currently, Python is trending and can be regarded as the king of programming languages. So learning this programming language in 2022 promises you success and growth.

Key Features of Python:

  • Easy to learn and code.
  • GUI support.
  • Incorporated the variants of Java and C like CPython, Jython, etc.
  • Companies working on Python: Intel, Facebook, Spotify, Netflix, etc.
  • Extensive libraries and frameworks that support a plethora of applications.

2. SQL

One popular language described in the report is SQL.

Not listed among the top 10, as it’s more a querying language than a programming language, SQL boasted more job postings than all the other languages on the list in both the U.S. and Europe.

No matter what programming language you use, you’ll typically use SQL to talk to databases. Therefore, learning this language is a good idea for most software developers.

3. HTML

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. Don’t let the complicated-sounding name fool you, though HTML is one of the most accessible stepping stones into the world of programming. Technically, HTML is a markup language, which means that it is responsible for formatting the appearance of information on a website.

Essentially, HTML is used to describe web pages with ordinary text. It doesn’t have the same functionality as other programming languages in this list and is limited to creating and structuring text on a site.

Sections, headings, links and paragraphs are all part of the HTML domain. As of 2020, HTML shares its #2 spot on Stack Overflow’s list of the most commonly used languages in the world with CSS.

4. Ruby

If you want to start with a language that is known for being relatively simple to learn, consider Ruby.

Developed in the 1990s, it was designed to have a more human-friendly syntax while still being flexible from the standpoint of its object-oriented architecture that supports procedural and functional programming notation.

A web-application framework that is implemented in Ruby is Ruby on Rails (“RoR”). Ruby developers tout it for being an easy language to write in and also for the relatively short learning time required.

These attributes have led to a large community of Ruby developers and a growing interest in the language among beginning developers.

5. C#

C# is a general-purpose programming language developed by Microsoft.

C# is widely used for backend programming, building games (using Unity), building Window mobile phone apps and lots of other use cases.

If you want to build desktop applications, then C# is what you need to learn. You can get a better scene of the language through C# tutorials.

Key Features of C#:

  • As pointer types aren’t permitted, much safer than C and C++
  • Automatic scalable and updateable
  • Follows a syntax similar to the C programming language
  • Ideal for all types of Windows development
  • Supports type safety
  • Ability to work with shared codebases
  • Component-oriented, object-oriented programming language
  • Fully integrated with the .NET library
  • Rich sets of library functions and data types
  • Quick compilation and execution times

6. PHP

PHP is one of the general-purpose scripting languages that will continue to hold its importance in the upcoming years.

It is among the first server-side language that can be embedded with HTML to add functionality to web pages.

Due to the increasing online trend, PHP developers are in high demand.

Key Features of PHP:

  • Simple and easy to learn.
  • Amazing websites like Facebook, Yahoo, and Wikipedia run on PHP.
  • Highly secure to prevent threats and attacks.
  • Faster than other scripting languages

7. Java

A respected and time-tested language, Java is widely used by organizations around the world.

Java is the main language behind Android, which owns an 85% share of the mobile market. It’s also the most popular language for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Java is considered harder to learn than Python but easier than C or C++, according to CodingNomads.

The main reason is that Java improved on C, and Python improved on Java. On the plus side, once you master Java, learning something like Python will be much easier.

Anyone who wants to pursue a career as a general software engineer or mobile developer and doesn’t mind the challenge would do well to study Java.

8. CSS

CSS, or cascading style sheets, is usually applied in conjunction with HTML and governs the site’s appearance.

While HTML organizes site text into chunks, CSS is responsible for determining the size, color and position of all page elements. CSS is convenient, too; the cascading part of the name means that an applied style will cascade down from parent elements to all children elements across the site.

This feature means that once users determine aesthetics for the main parent, they won’t have to manually repeat their code across a website.

Moreover, the delegation of site organization to HTML and aesthetics to CSS means that users don’t have to completely rewrite a web page just to change a color. CSS is an approachable language that allows beginning programmers to dip their toes in the metaphorical coding pool.

If you’re new to coding, there’s no reason not to learn CSS before tackling more complex languages!

9. Matlab

Matlab is a proprietary programming language owned by MathWorks and originally released in the mid-1980s.

It is built specifically for use by scientists and engineers. Programmers use Matlab to build machine learning and deep learning applications.

Matlab-based programs enable users to analyze data, create algorithms, process images, and verify research. Generally, Matlab is easier to learn than other programming languages on our list.

MathWorks’ website has an extensive section dedicated to answering questions about Matlab.

10. C and C++

C and C++ have a significant presence in the world of programming. Almost all low-level systems, such as operating systems and file systems, are written in C/C++.

If you wish to be a system-level programmer, these are the programming languages that you should learn. C++ is also widely used by competitive programmers owing to the fact that it is extremely fast and stable.

It provides something called STL – Standard Template Library. This is a pool of ready-to-use libraries for various data structures, arithmetic operations, and algorithms.

The library support and speed of the language make it a popular choice in the high-frequency trading community as well.

Key Features of C & C++:

  • Several compilers and libraries to work with [C++]
  • Faster execution of programs than most programming languages [C/C++]
  • Language of choice for multi-device, multi-platform app development [C++]
  • Procedure-oriented language with a group of function modules and blocks. These make debugging, testing, and maintaining the programs easier [C].
  • Rich function library [C++]
  • Support exception handling and function overloading [C++]
  • Eases accessing blocked or hidden objects by other programming languages [C]
  • Offers a great degree of portability [C]
  • Programs are more efficient and easy to understand [C/C++]
  • Runs close to the system hardware and hence, offers a low level of abstraction [C/C++]
  • Wide variety of application domains, such as games, GUI applications, and real-time mathematical simulations [C++]
  • Forms the basis for understanding more complex programming languages [C/C++]

11. JavaScript

JavaScript is one of the world’s most popular programming languages on the web.

As per the survey, more than 97 percent of the websites use JavaScript on the client-side of the webpage. As per the latest statistics, 72% of companies are looking for JavaScript developers.

Hence learning JavaScript can be the most amazing decision that you can make in 2022 to fuel your career.

Key Features of JavaScript:

  • It has a well-organized codebase that provides enhanced productivity and readability.
  • Provide user input validation features.
  • Platform independence and greater control of the browser.
  • The top companies using JavaScript are Microsoft, Uber, PayPal, Google, Walmart, etc.
  • Easy to learn and is highly in demand.

12. NoSQL

NoSQL, or Non-relational SQL, was created to improve SQL’s scalability while retaining the other language’s ease of use. Remember, SQL utilizes relational database/stream management systems that keep data in tables and allows users to manipulate and extract data.

NoSQL databases, on the other hand, don’t use tables and can be more useful than their predecessors for specific applications, such as storing data in a hierarchical network or supporting large-scale, cloud-based applications. Because these languages are both so versatile, they rank high on our list of the most in-demand coding languages.

13. Swift

A few years ago, Swift made the top 10 in the monthly TIOBE Index ranking of popular programming languages.

Apple developed Swift in 2014 for Linux and Mac applications. An open-source programming language that is easy to learn, Swift supports almost everything from the programming language Objective-C.

Swift requires fewer coding skills compared with other programming languages, and it can be used with IBM Swift Sandbox and IBM Bluemix.

Swift is used in popular iOS apps like WordPress, Mozilla Firefox, SoundCloud, and even in the game Flappy Bird.

14. R

The R programming language is one of the most commonly used languages for data analysis and machine learning.

R provides an excellent framework and built-in libraries to develop powerful machine learning algorithms. It is also used for general statistical computing. Enterprises often make use of R.

Those who wish to join the analytics team of a large organization should think about learning R.

Key Features of R:

  • Powerful package ecosystem
  • Ability to run seamlessly on various operations systems
  • Being open-source and free grants the ability to make tweaks as required
  • Highly extensible
  • Active, growing community
  • Comprehensive statistical analysis language

15. Golang (or Go)

Go is one of the most reliable and efficient programming languages that stands out from the rest.

It was originally designed at Google in 2007 to manage its rapidly growing infrastructure.

It quickly gained amazing popularity and has become one of the top programming languages. Go is the future of programming language so you can surely think about learning this in 2022.

Key Features of Go:

  • Simple to learn and understand.
  • Companies working on Go are Google, BBC, Medium, Uber.
  • It facilitates AI and data science processes.
  • Supports automation processes.

16. Rust

According to Stack Overflow, Rust has consistently ranked at the top of the most-loved programming languages, with 86% of users claiming that they were interested in continuing to develop with it. However, Rust users only accounted for 3% of developers in the survey, which indicates that the vast majority of programmers are unfamiliar with its usefulness.

Rust is a “multi-paradigm” programming language, which means that it allows developers to work in a variety of programming styles. In syntax, it is comparable to C++, though it supports more wide-ranging applications. If you’re looking for faster compilation, better cross-platform capabilities or just better career prospects, Rust is a great language to pick up.

17. Kotlin

Kotlin is a general-purpose programming language originally developed and unveiled as Project Kotlin by JetBrains in 2011.

The first version was officially released in 2016. It is interoperable with Java and supports functional programming languages. Kotlin is used extensively for Android apps, web application, desktop application, and server-side application development.

Kotlin was built to be better than Java, and people who use this language are convinced. Most of the Google applications are based on Kotlin.

Some companies using Kotlin as their programming language include Coursera, Pinterest, PostMates among many others.

Key Features of Kotlin:

  • Concise code and structured concurrency.
  • It is 100% interoperable.
  • Coding is approximately 20% less as compared to Java.
  • Companies working on Kotlin are Pinterest, Uber, Trello, Amazon, etc.
  • Enhanced security features.

18. Perl

Perl isn’t the most commonly used language on the market. In fact, just 3.1 percent of developers used it in 2020, and it didn’t even make Stack Overflow’s commonly used languages list for 2019.

However, we are recommending it for a reason. If you’re already well into your career, learning Perl could significantly boost your earnings potential. According to HackerRank, developers who know Perl tend to make 54 percent more than the average developer (PDF, 2.4MB).

That said, it is worth noting that most of the people who know these are senior developers, who tend to make more at a baseline — thus, attempting to quantify the “bonus” that a programming language provides may be somewhat tricky.

That said, learning a language like Perl may still make a junior developer better suited for a promotion or raise. The Practical Extraction and Report Language — or Perl, for short — is a scripting language that is commonly used to extract information from a text file and create a report.

While many programming languages are compiled languages — wherein a target machine translates the program — Perl is an interpreted language, wherein a third “interpreting” machine locates the code and executes a task.

Usually, interpreted programs require more CPU, but because Perl is such a concise language, it creates short scripts that can be processed quickly.

Conclusion

That’s pretty much it! So, there are Best Programming Languages to Learn.

If you have any other favorite Best Programming Languages to Learn then don’t forget to share them with us in the comment below. Also, if you liked this article, Share on your favorite Social media platform.

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