Diving Into the Minds of 23,262 Developers: Insights From the 2024 JetBrains Report
JetBrains (a company that creates tools for developers) provides valuable content by sharing its survey every year since 2017.
Here’s what I understood from the 2024 survey — key highlights reflecting the collective thoughts of 23,262 developers worldwide.
JavaScript is Still King, But TypeScript is the Cool Prince
JavaScript is the most used programming language among developers.
61% of developers using it.
What about TypeScript? JetBrains says “Its adoption has surged from 12% in 2017 up to an impressive 35% in 2024.” You may want to look at it.
Desktop Development Dead? Not Even Close
58% of developers execute code in browsers.
Desktop applications, executed by 53% of developers, still outpace mobile development, which stands at 30%.
Blockchain Is Like That One Friend Who’s Always Late
Despite the hype, blockchain is waiting for its real moment in the spotlight.
Everyone’s waiting for it to show up, but so far, only 3% of devs are seeing action.
What about AI and ML?
Python is the brain behind AI and ML, thanks to its powerful libraries like TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, and scikit-learn.
C++ also plays a significant role in AI and ML.
What kind of websites they develop?
Business websites dominate development, with 60% of developers working on them.
Web interfaces for products (39%), personal or portfolio websites (35%) and E-commerce websites (31%) follows.
Databases?
MySQL remains the top choice, used by 52% of developers in 2024, continuing its dominance as a go-to open-source database.
PostgreSQL adoption has grown significantly, reaching 45%.
MongoDB and SQLite both climbed to 30%.
AWS: The King of the Cloud
Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains the most popular cloud platform, used by 46% of developers, although its dominance has slightly declined from 50% in 2021.
Microsoft Azure has grown steadily, reaching 17% usage in 2024.
Google Cloud Platform and Alibaba Cloud are tied at 11%, maintaining consistent but limited adoption compared to the leaders.
AI Isn’t Coming for Your Job, It’s Joining Your Team
AI is doing the boring stuff, and doing it fast.
49% of developers regularly use ChatGPT for coding.
GitHub Copilot is the second most popular AI tool, used by 26% of developers.
While developers are actively adopting AI tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot, company policies vary significantly regarding their usage.
29% of companies allow AI tools for all projects, while 26% restrict AI usage to certain projects only and 25% have no formal policy.
Where’s My Big Tech Money?
United States leads the way in developer salaries, with a median of $144K USD, significantly outpacing other regions.
The United Kingdom ($82.2K) and Canada ($80.1K) follow but still fall far behind the U.S. market.
Want to Be a Top Earner? Go Scala or Go Home
Scala takes the crown for the highest-paying programming language, with 37% of top-paid employees using it.
Go (35%) and Kotlin (34%) follow closely.
Formal Education Still Rules the Developer World
Formal educational institutions (52%) remain the most popular entry point for aspiring developers, significantly outpacing other resources.
Free online courses and code schools (14%) are the second most common resource.
22% of developers are career switchers, transitioning into tech from entirely different industries.
Layoffs? Developers Are Saying, “We’re Built Different”
Even with layoffs, 84% feel secure in their jobs.
16% of developers were directly impacted by layoffs over the past two years.
Germany: Pretzels, Beers, and Tech Careers
Germany (60%) and France (58%) are the most favorable regions for software developers in terms of job opportunities.
India (20%) and Mainland China (13%) face the most challenging job markets, with 56% and 72% of respondents finding it hard to get a job.
The United States (30%) and United Kingdom (34%) are neutral, reflecting competitive yet stable tech job markets.
6% Women, 1% Non-Binary, 100% Potential
91% of developers identify as male, showcasing the tech industry’s ongoing gender imbalance.
Female representation increased to 6% from 5% in previous years — a small but positive step toward inclusivity.
8% of Developers Say: “I Am the Team”
With 88% under 20 people, small teams dominate the dev scene.
49% of developers work in small teams of 2–7 people, making this the most common team size in software development.
8% of developers work independently, highlighting the rise of solo developers and freelancers in the tech world.
From salaries to team sizes, and from career switching to gender representation, the tech world is constantly changing.
Explore the complete findings by accessing to the JetBrains full report here.
