Python still holds a significant lead in first place in the March edition of the Tiobe Index.
Python remains the most popular programming language in the Tiobe Index, while C rises again to second place and R enters the top ten. The Tiobe Index for March 2026 actually shows few shifts compared to February. Python remains clearly at number one with 21.25 percent, despite a slight decrease compared to last year.
C climbs back to second place
The most significant movement in the top five is C, which climbs from fourth to second place with a score of 11.55 percent. As a result, C++ drops to third place and Java to fourth. However, Python remains well in the lead. Visual Basic also rises slightly in the rankings, reaching seventh place.
A notable change is that R has re-entered the top ten. The language rose from sixteenth to ninth place, swapping positions with SQL. Furthermore, Tiobe reports that Swift is back in the top twenty, while Kotlin has disappeared from that list.
Index remains based on search results
According to Tiobe, the index remains based on search results from websites such as Google, Amazon, and Wikipedia. The organization was recently asked why they do not use AI models to measure the popularity of programming languages.
“That would make little difference,” the website states, “because AI models are ultimately also trained on the same web pages that the index analyzes.”