C# Surpassed Python? Shocking Results of the Stack Overflow 2021 Survey

Online Python Trainer for Beginners

Learn Python easily without overwhelming theory. Solve practical tasks with automatic checking, get hints in Russian, and write code directly in your browser — no installation required.

Start Course

Stack Overflow: C# entered the top 5 most loved languages by developers

The annual Stack Overflow developer survey for 2021 brought a surprise: Microsoft's C# language not only strengthened its position but also broke into the top five most loved programming languages. According to the study, which involved over 80,000 developers, C# took 5th place in the "Most Loved" category, surpassing heavyweights like TypeScript and Kotlin.

According to the report, 67.3% of respondents using C# stated they would like to continue working with it next year. For comparison, the rating leader — Rust — scored 86.9%, but C# confidently outperformed Go (65.4%), Python (66.4%), and even JavaScript (61.5%). Experts attribute this growth to the release of .NET 5 and the active development of cross-platform capabilities.

"C# has ceased to be just a language for Windows Forms. Now it is a full-fledged tool for web development, game development (Unity), and even machine learning via ML.NET. Developers value it for its strong typing, performance, and concise syntax," comments James Avery, lead engineer at Microsoft.

Interestingly, in the "Most Wanted" category, C# took 7th place, ceding leadership to Python and TypeScript. However, analysts note a paradox: despite high love, the number of new projects in C# is growing slower than in Go or Rust. This suggests that the language retains its audience through quality rather than aggressive marketing.

The report also highlights that the average salary for C# developers in the US is $98,000 per year, which is 12% higher than the market average. In Europe, this figure reaches €65,000. Meanwhile, 42% of respondents use C# together with .NET Core, confirming the trend of migration from the classic .NET Framework.

Overall, the survey results show that the Microsoft ecosystem is experiencing a renaissance. Thanks to open source, Linux support, and an active community, C# is gradually becoming a universal language for enterprise development and startups.

The full Stack Overflow report for 2021 is available on the platform's official website.