Promising programming languages by salary level and demand

Today, society has formed an opinion that programmers are one of the most promising professions in terms of career growth and wages. Of course, there is some truth in this statement. This is largely due to the stable development of the Internet, the daily increase in the number of sites on the network, which in itself requires good specialists. But if you delve into this issue more deeply, it becomes clear that the salary and demand for programmers in the market do not always depend only on the experience of the specialist. Here, the programming language that he will master plays a significant role today. Thus, if you analyze the modern market, you can see that the use of some technologies brings programmers a really good income, while others, on the contrary, show a significant gap, and not in a big way.

If you are just planning your first steps in the field of information technology, if you want to initially choose a language to study that will be extremely popular in subsequent practice and will bring you good earnings, carefully study our material today. The information presented will be useful not only for beginners in choosing the optimal direction for training, but also for people who already have some experience in programming and would like to slightly change their specialization in order to become more in demand on the market and increase their income.

In particular, we will now consider the main factors that influence the level of programmers' salaries. We will provide the TOP languages, work on which today and in the foreseeable future brings the highest income, as well as additional solutions that are also worth taking into account. We will provide an analysis of ratings and open vacancies, which will allow you to navigate the demand for certain specialists in today's market. This review is based on an analysis of the Russian market in 2025 and takes into account current trends.

A little background

If we talk about the IT technology market as a whole, then programming can rightfully be called one of the most popular and dynamic areas. The corresponding specialists are necessarily on the staff of global corporations, various government agencies, scientific, educational, and cultural centers. Most startups cannot do without them. And each of these niches necessarily requires the development and maintenance of stable operation of various software solutions.

And most of the organizations are looking for a full-time or even freelance developer who has not only programming skills, but also follows current trends in this area. They are offered fairly competitive and compensation packages. Along with fairly high salaries, this also includes additional bonuses, which in most cases look much more attractive than the salary itself. We are talking about providing company shares, expanded social packages, options and providing a number of other privileges, tempting offers.

But if you carefully analyze the current trends, you can see that not all existing programming languages are perceived equally on the market. The demand for specialists and their salary level depend on various parameters. The most common points here include:

• the complexity of the programming language;
• the scale of the project;
• the level of responsibility of the specialist;
• the so-called cost of errors made in the program code;
• the specifics of the domain itself, namely its complexity, technological advancement, which requires deep and professional knowledge, etc.

All the subsequent information that will be given in our review is the results of research conducted by such sites as Stack Overflow Developer Survey, VentureBeat, DevOpsSchool. Information from open publications was also taken into account. Attention was paid to the lists of the highest-paid programming languages, including at the global level.

Factors that influence the level of wages

The cost of an individual specialist in the labor market depends on various factors. That is, it is initially important to understand what is hidden under the concept of "high salary in IT". Above, we have already briefly mentioned the main trends, but for a deeper understanding, it is important to consider the main aspects in detail. That is, in particular, we are talking about such things as:

1. The complexity of the language and the niche in which it is most widely used. There are many technologies on the modern market that are designed to solve fairly complex and narrow-profile problems. This category includes everything related to machine learning, artificial intelligence, systems programming, the financial and technical industry, high-load computing power, etc. If it turns out that there is a shortage of specialists in one of these areas, then with a high degree of probability there will be a fairly rapid increase in wages.
2. Requirements for reliability and responsibility. The higher they are, the higher the level of wages will be. It is important to understand that in some cases the security of financial transactions, the stability and reliability of technological operations, the functioning of industrial equipment will depend on the correctness of the code. And if the risks of errors are high, and their consequences are extremely serious, then the salary of developers of such software will be higher. But it is important to understand that in this case the cost of mistakes and oversights will be considerable. Accordingly, the level of responsibility here will be very high. That is, good pay in this case is associated with serious risks and assumes maximum responsibility.
3. Popularity of projects and their scale. Programmers working in large businesses can also count on fairly good salaries. Such companies rely on expertise, speed of software development and even brand loyalty. But here it is important to understand that only those specialists who are truly professionals in their niche or those who will literally "grow" in this company will be able to get such a job. It is clearly not going to happen that you, as a beginner specialist, come to a large corporation and immediately get a salary with 4-5 zeros.
4. Complex and narrow specialization. In the modern market, there are languages and frameworks that are used in very rare, but extremely profitable niches. As an option, these are unmanned systems, scientific automation, cryptography, etc. Here, the level of salaries will be quite impressive. But the main thing is to find your project and ensure constant workload, since there are not as many offers on the market as many specialists would like.

If we analyze all these factors, we can say with confidence that choosing a direction in IT is an extremely serious and responsible undertaking. So, in some cases, you can ensure yourself a stable demand on the market, but at the same time the level of wages will not be too high. In others, on the contrary, you can wait for a suitable project for six months, but receive almost a year's salary for it. But still, it is important to be well versed in programming languages and take into account how highly this or that option is valued on the modern market. Looking a little ahead, we note that in most cases, the best option would be to study several programming languages, among which one will belong to the category of highly paid, and the other will be universal. This combination guarantees the highest possible demand on the market and good salaries.

The Highest-Paid Programming Languages in 2025

If we analyze the information presented in open sources, in the results of research on a number of sites, including publications on social networks, job boards, we can conclude that the highest salary indicators are observed among programmers who use the following 5 languages in their work:

1. Python.
2. Go, aka Golang.
3. Rust.
4. Scala.
5. C++.

We would like to draw your attention to the fact that this selection presents both extremely popular and long-established development tools, as well as languages that have appeared on the market relatively recently. But what unites them is a fairly high complexity in combination with demand in such key business industries as system programming, fintech, Big Data, machine learning and other similar ones. Now let's take a closer look at each of these options, so that it would be easier for you to navigate this specificity and draw the appropriate conclusions for yourself.

Python

Over the past few years, Python can rightfully be called one of the most popular and widespread programming languages on a global scale. Moreover, it is rightfully considered a standard in the field of machine learning, when working with artificial intelligence, and data analysis. One of the most significant advantages here rightfully includes its relative ease of learning, as well as the presence of the largest ecosystem of libraries. This is what significantly simplifies the programming itself, increases the speed of work and the convenience of their implementation.

The versatility of its application is also highly appreciated. It is among the top three leaders in popularity after such well-known giants as JavaScript and HTML / CSS. And if you check the popularity of search queries in the ranking on this topic, the TIOBE index even brings Python to 1st place. The demand, reliability and prospects of this programming language are evidenced by the fact that it is used as the main tool by such global corporations as Google, Netflix, Spotify, Quora, as well as social networks Facebook and Instagram.

Users highly appreciated the ability of this programming language to automate tasks and improve work processes. Now we can confidently say that Python will be in demand not only today, but also in the distant future. Today, the first frameworks of this language have already begun to appear on the market, such as the same Django, Pyramid, Flask, which also receive increased approval from developers. And on Github there are over a million corresponding repositories. All these features once again confirm the demand for this language in the market, in particular in the field of web development, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data science.

But what about wages? Today, if we talk about the US market, the average salary here is from $130,000 to $180,000 per year. In Russia, these figures are significantly lower. On average, Python programmers earn from $24,000 to $42,000 in the market. But if we talk directly about areas such as Big Data and neural networks, then in large cities their wages can reach $50,000 per year.

Golang

Golang, or as it is often called Go, is Google's own development, created specifically for cloud solutions, high-performance server development, and microservice architecture. This development is actively used in practice today by both large corporations and start-ups. It will be useful for anyone looking for increased throughput, sufficient ease of use, good efficiency and a wide range of tools. Among other things, this solution can also be used where it is necessary to create multithreading.

This programming language has also proven itself well when working with sites that will subsequently require scaling, where increased throughput is needed. In practice, Go is often used when working with distributed systems, microservices. Experts also highlight its excellent competitiveness, high compilation speed, and ease of use among its advantages. Today, this programming language is widely used in server development and cloud computing.

If we talk directly about the salaries of specialists working with the Go programming language, it is worth saying that in the United States, specialists earn on average from $140,000 to $200,000 per year. The figures for the Russian market are noticeably lower, namely from $30,000 to $48,000. Programmers working in fairly large corporations are paid slightly higher, up to $55,000. Today, the demand for such specialists remains at a fairly high level, which is primarily due to the accelerated development of cloud technologies and microservice architectures, as well as the shortage of good specialists in this niche of the information technology market.

Rust

Rust is a fairly popular system programming language today. The developers presented it to the market as a more functional and safe alternative to C++: they claim that they managed to solve the problem with memory leaks, but at the same time maintain excellent speed and excellent efficiency in work. Rust is most often used in practice in the following areas:

• system programming;
• browser development;
• creation of operating systems;
• blockchain development;
• Internet of things.

That is, everything related to network services, cybersecurity and other work that involves the strictest control and compliance with precise requirements, including performance, can be created using Rust. Practice shows that it is precisely critically important tasks that are solved today using this programming language.

It is precisely this rather narrow and extremely important, responsible specialization of Rust that has led to the fact that the income level of specialists in this industry can rightfully be called one of the highest today. In particular, in the US market, such specialists earn an average of up to $150,000 - $210,000 per year of work. Of course, Russia is significantly behind these figures today, but nevertheless, the income level here will also be one of the highest, namely from $36,000 to $54,000, and for experienced specialists this figure can even approach $60,000. But it is important to understand that the niche where Rust is used is quite narrow, although extremely promising.

Scala

Scala is a programming language that combines object-oriented and functional paradigms, which makes it a fairly universal solution for working in different areas, including high-load systems, large data arrays. It is based on the JVM, which in itself allows you to integrate the created solution with existing Java projects.

At its core, Scala is a hybrid language. It is not inferior to Java in terms of productivity, efficiency of work, but in terms of functionality it is much more expanded and offers developers quite good opportunities for creating software products. In practice, it is widely used in the field of financial technologies, as well as Big Data projects with Spark. That is, its use will be quite appropriate where fairly complex data processing is expected and increased reliability is required.

Now directly about the possible level of earnings for programmers who are fluent in the Scala language. So, for the US market, the annual salary level is in the range from $ 120,000 to $ 175,000. Russian developers in their country earn on average from $ 30,000 to $ 48,000. You can also see the level of payments in the range of $ 50,000 - $ 52,000 per year, which is relevant for large companies, large cities of specialists with impressive experience.

C++

C++ is the only traditional programming language that made it into our selection of the highest-paid solutions. It is used when working with system and high-performance tasks. In particular, it is widely used in such niches as high-frequency trading and other financial areas, high-tech software, game development. Quite often, large industrial software is created with its use, the kernel, embedded, file, and operating systems are worked on.

Users rate C++ for its excellent performance, as well as good stability in operation. It is this property that many developers seek to apply in other programming languages. The reliability of this solution is also indicated by the fact that today it continues to be actively used in their projects by Microsoft Windows, eBay, Adobe, Spotify, HP, Oracle, IBM, Huawei, PhonePe Google, and Apple. In particular, the iOS operating system was also created in C++.

Today you can find a huge number of games, desktop applications, programs with a complex graphical interface and real-time mathematical modeling created in this language. If you analyze the GitHub platform, you can find 600,000 repositories for C++. By the way, for its closest analogue, the C language, the number of repositories here has exceeded 7 million.

Due to its fairly high complexity, C++ specialists in the United States earn an average of $120,000 to $250,000 per year. The highest figures are observed in niches such as finance and high-frequency trading. Russia is inferior to these indicators, but still the level of earnings of C++ developers here is quite high and ranges from $24,000 to $52,000. The last figure is typical for such niche areas as HFT, gamedev.

Other programming languages with a good salary level

Above, we have listed the top five programming languages that occupy leading positions in terms of salary level. But, along with them, there are also other options with quite good salaries. In particular, the following solutions can be included here:

1. Java. It is very widely used in the development of corporate software products. It is widely used by the banking sector, logistics centers, insurance companies, and municipal institutions. It is distinguished by high reliability in operation, good scalability, and an impressive ecosystem of frameworks and libraries. Today, tens of thousands of ready-made tool solutions can be found in the public domain, which anyone can use.
2. JavaScript and TypeScript. Modern complex JS/TS solutions are widely used in web frontend, Node.js-based backend, desktop applications and mobile development. In particular, TypeScript is great for large projects, as it can guarantee precise typing. These solutions combine flexibility and versatility.
3. Swift. The first thing to note here is that we are talking about the official Apple language. Its advantages include high security indicators, ease of use, and support from a fairly powerful ecosystem. Due to high revenues from the iOS application market and focus on a solvent audience, excellent monetization opportunities, Swift has been widely used in practice and has provided a fairly good level of income for developers.
4. Kotlin. This solution from JetBrains Corporation, which gained widespread popularity after Google announced that it would be used as the main programming language for the Android operating system. Currently, it is also widely used in microservices and server development. Users note its good integration with Java products.
5. C#. Surely many of you know that this language is a key solution in the entire .NET ecosystem from Microsoft. In total, desktop software products, Internet applications, and all kinds of games are created with its help. In practice, it has found wide application directly in the corporate environment, especially the one built on Microsoft Azure, as well as in game development.

But here it is important to understand that the level of payment is far from the only indicator on the basis of which it is worth choosing a programming language to study. It is also important to stop at an option that will be extremely in demand on the market. This is what guarantees permanent employment and, as a result, a stable level of income.

The most popular programming languages on the market in 2025

Today, there are quite a lot of different ratings tied to programming languages. They are created based on a selection of different criteria and allow you to assess how in-demand a particular specialist will be in a given industry. Among the most popular options here are TIOBE Index, Stack Overflow Developer Survey, RedMonk Ranking, IEEE Spectrum Ranking, PYPL (PopularitY of Programming Language Index). But you can also get the relevant data from job boards. And here it is important to pay attention to such an indicator as the total number of vacancies.

It is this that determines the demand for a given programming language as a whole. Also take into account the possibility of remote work. Practice shows that a number of specialists will be in demand directly in the office environment, while others, on the contrary, rely on remote work. By the way, more opportunities for remote employment are offered to specialists who know more universal programming languages, such as JavaScript, Python, PHP. But for office work, 1C, C++, Go programmers are most often in demand.

Based on the information obtained from these ratings, as well as open sources, in particular job posting sites, we can highlight the specialists in which programming languages are in high demand in the modern market:

• 1C. It is noteworthy that among the total number of all vacancies, only a tenth of them will relate directly to programming itself. Here, the emphasis is mainly on accounting, warehouse management, logistics and many other business processes that are built today on the basis of this language. Most employers are interested in specialists with experience in 1C from 1 year to 3 years, but at the same time about 15% of employers are ready to hire people without experience. There is also a lot of freelancing, remote work, including part-time work. Full-time vacancies are no more than 10%.
• Ruby. Most of the vacancies for such programmers are concentrated in fairly large cities. Moreover, companies are looking for specialists with at least 1 year of experience, while there are no vacancies for beginners. One of the mandatory requirements here will be knowledge of ruby on rails, vue.js technologies. You can also find employers willing to hire people with programming experience in another language with the possibility of retraining.
• PHP. This programming language is mainly used in the web development environment. Most of the vacancies that exist today involve full-stack development, in which one contractor takes on the development of not only the frontend, but also the backend. Often, a mandatory requirement for a PHP developer will also be the relevant knowledge of JavaScript and TypeScript, as well as technologies such as php, html, git, mysql, typescript, css, laravel. Here, specialists with at least 1 year of experience are also required, while less than 20% are ready to hire beginner programmers.
• JavaScript/TypeScript. Most of the vacancies in this category are aimed at developing the frontend and backend. But still, the main focus here is directly on the frontend. In this case, specialists must have fairly good knowledge of technologies such as javascript, css, html, webpack, react, typescript, scss, rest api, figma, jest, graphql, sql, express. Familiarity with Node.js will also be a big plus. Most of the companies also require specialists with 1 to 3 years of experience, but about 20% of companies are ready to hire specialists without the relevant practical skills.
• Java/Kotlin. Both of these languages are generally close together, as they are based on the same platform. Therefore, if you know one of them, then in principle you can apply for a developer position in the other. Most of the vacancies that exist today involve automated testing on Selenium or service development on Spring Boot. To get a job, you must have at least 1 year of experience in this field. Vacancies without experience are about 20% of the total.
• Python. Here the number of vacancies is one of the most impressive, but there is a very serious spread in the areas. Moreover, you can find vacancies where the programming language itself does not play a key role, but is used only as an additional tool, as an option in analytics. Today, there is very high competition in this niche, especially among graduates of various educational institutions. The fact is that Python has become one of those languages that are used all over the world in teaching students. But still, employers are mainly looking for people with experience, although more than 30% of them are ready to hire young specialists.
• Go. We have already mentioned above that this programming language is very popular in high-load systems. The demand for such specialists has been growing for more than one year. But here, due to the increased complexity and level of responsibility, employers are looking for experienced specialists, while no more than 10% of companies are ready to attract newcomers.
• C# (.NET). Not so long ago, this programming language was actively used in training specialists at universities. But today, training programs have undergone radical changes. But this does not mean that this language is becoming a thing of the past. Considering that a huge amount of critical software is written in it today, including that used by global corporations, it is too early to write it off. The market requires such specialists, mainly with experience, but about 30% of companies are ready to hire entry-level C# developers.
• C++/C. One of the most complex programming languages, which requires deep knowledge not only in the direct creation of products, but also in related areas. People who apply for such positions must have a good understanding of how hardware works in principle, and be well versed in the structure and functioning of modern operating systems. The requirements for applicants here are quite strict. No more than 20% of companies are ready to hire newcomers, and even then, the focus is on graduates of specialized universities.
• Rust. This programming language is only gaining popularity today. Many experts agree that it will become extremely popular within the next 5 years, creating worthy competition for more famous and widespread languages, especially in the field of creating high-performance software products. Therefore, if you are just considering the possibility of retraining, pay attention to this option. Today, they are mainly looking for experienced people, while the share of vacancies for beginners is less than 5%.
• Swift. We have already mentioned above that this is a niche language focused exclusively on iOS development. This is what reduces its demand in the market, but at the same time increases the level of competition, especially among specialists with experience. This is why it is recommended to study this language as an additional, rather than a main one. This is largely due to the fact that Android devices are more common in the CIS and, accordingly, the development of software products for them is also a priority. About 20% of companies are ready to hire beginners here. In other cases, at least 1 year of experience is required.
• Lua. It is mainly used in such areas as computer games and robotics. A fairly low-competition niche, although demand here is gradually increasing. It is noteworthy that this is the only programming language where over 90% of vacancies involve hiring people without experience.

In any case, it is important for you to understand that the number of vacancies in a particular area directly depends on the popularity of the language in the industry. Moreover, to ensure the most stable and flexible work in the market, increased adaptability to its fluctuations, current trends, it is advisable to initially aim to learn several languages. This is what guarantees you constant demand as a specialist and a good level of income.

Let's sum it up

If you want to master a truly promising profession in terms of employment and income level, then, of course, you should pay attention to programming in general. When choosing the appropriate language, it is important to understand that in any case you will need to ensure good qualifications, acquire professional and deep knowledge, and teamwork skills. In addition, you will need to be able to adapt to changes in technology and the market as a whole. Only in this case, your work as a developer will be valued as highly as possible.

In today's review, we examined in detail the popular and promising programming languages that are relevant today and will remain so in the foreseeable future. But still, it is worth betting on those solutions that are used in high-tech and advanced industries. This may include big data analysis, microservice and cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, high-frequency financial systems.

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