JetBrains details state of Python in 2025
JetBrains has detailed its eighth annual Python Developers Survey.
This survey is conducted as a collaborative effort between the Python Software Foundation and JetBrains’ PyCharm team.
JetBrains’ Michael Kennedy (host of the Talk Python to Me podcast) says that the team analysed more than 30,000 responses to pull out the most significant trends and predictions.
As we explore these insights, having the right tools for your projects can make all the difference, so then… the team recommend trying PyCharm for free to stay equipped with everything needed for data science, ML/AI workflows and web development in one Python IDE.
“Let’s begin by talking about how central Python is for people who use it. Python people use Python primarily. That might sound like an obvious tautology. However, developers use many languages that are not their primary language. For example, web developers might use Python, C#, or Java primarily, but they also use CSS, HTML, and even JavaScript,” noted Kennedy
On the other hand, developers who work primarily with Node.js or Deno also use JavaScript, but not as their primary language.
The survey shows that 86% of respondents use Python as their main language for writing computer programs, building applications, creating APIs, and more.
Brave new world
Exactly 50% of respondents have less than two years of professional coding experience! Plus… 39% have less than two years of experience with Python (even in hobbyist or educational settings) and this result perhaps reaffirms that Python is a great language for those early in their career.
The simple (but not simplistic) syntax and approachability really speak to newer programmers as well as seasoned ones. Many of us love programming and Python and are happy to share it with our newer community members.
“However, it suggests that we consider these demographics when we create content for the community. If you create a tutorial or video demonstration, don’t skimp on the steps to help people get started. For example, don’t just tell them to install the package. Tell them that they need to create a virtual environment, and show them how to do so and how to activate it. Guide them on installing the package into that virtual environment,” said Kennedy.
The team advises developers and says that if you’re a tool vendor such as JetBrains, you’ll certainly want to keep in mind that many of your users will be quite new to programming and to Python itself. That doesn’t mean you should ignore advanced features or dumb down your products, but don’t make it hard for beginners to adopt them either.
The application of data science
This year, 51% of all surveyed Python developers are involved in data exploration and processing, with pandas and NumPy being the tools most commonly used for this.
Many of us in the Python pundit space have talked about Python as being divided into thirds: One-third web development, one-third data science and pure science, and one-third as a catch-all bin.
“We need to rethink that positioning now that one of those thirds is overwhelmingly the most significant portion of Python,” said Kennedy. “This is also in the context of not only a massive boom in the interest in data and AI right now, but a corresponding explosion in the development of tools to work with in this space.”
There are data processing tools like Polars, new ways of working with notebooks like Marimo, and a huge number of user friendly packages for working with LLMs, vision models, and agents (e.g. Transformers, Diffusers, smolagents, LangChain/LangGraph, LlamaIndex).
The survey also indicates that many are using Docker and containers to execute code, which makes this 83% or higher number even more surprising.
With containers, developers just pick the latest version of Python in the container. Since everything is isolated, programmers don’t need to worry about its interactions with the rest of the system, for example, Linux’s system Python. Kennedy says we should expect containerisation to provide more flexibility and ease our transition towards the latest version of Python.
Over the past couple of years, Rust has become Python’s performance co-pilot. The Python Language Summit of 2025 suggested that, “Somewhere between one-quarter and one-third of all native code being uploaded to PyPI for new projects uses Rust”, indicating that “people are choosing to start new projects using Rust.”
More information on the survey is available at the link at the start of this story.
