Software Developers Statistics

Software developers: 76% use Git for version control—see how today’s tools and practices map to real hiring demand.
Seo-yeon ZhaoConnor Wardell

Written by Seo-yeon Zhao

Fact-checked by Connor Wardell

Statistics
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Sources
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Sections
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Reading time
6 minutes
Software developers shape nearly every digital product, but demand and supply shift by country, sector, and skills mix. The United States alone employed about 1,773,000 software developers in 2023, with projected average annual openings of 409,000 from 2022–2032. Across OECD countries, ICT-related jobs account for only 1.7% of employment, while employers increasingly grapple with finding qualified specialists. This page connects workforce data with education, curricula, and how modern practices—from agile to AI tools—are evolving.

Key Takeaways

  1. 1409,000 average annual openings for software developers are projected in the United States for 2022–2032
  2. 21.7% of workers in OECD countries are employed in ICT-related occupations
  3. 3The ACM/IEEE-CS 2024 Computing Curricula report notes that formal methods are included in fewer than 20% of undergraduate CS curricula (2019–2022 curriculum scan).
  4. 4The U.S. Department of Labor reported 1,773,000 software developers employed in the United States in 2023 (SOC 15-1252).
  5. 5According to the U.S. National Science Foundation, the number of computer and mathematical sciences workers employed in the U.S. was 3.7 million in 2023.
  6. 6Stack Exchange Stack Overflow’s 2024 survey reported that 76% of developers are using Git for version control.
  7. 7IEEE Spectrum’s 2024 “Top 10 Programming Languages” article reported that Python is the most popular language for AI/ML, used by 48% of machine learning engineers surveyed in 2023–2024.
  8. 871% of developers reported using AI tools for coding tasks in 2024
  9. 936% of organizations planned to increase their AI spending in 2024
  10. 10S&P Global Market Intelligence reported that the global software market reached $1.02 trillion in 2024 (IDC-aligned estimate).
  11. 11$1.4 trillion was spent globally on information security in 2023, creating indirect demand for software security developers (ISC2 Global Cybersecurity Spending).
  12. 12Approximately 36% of organizations planned to increase their AI spending in 2024.
  13. 13IEEE reported in its 2024 “Software Engineering” survey that 73% of organizations use agile development methods.
  14. 14A total of 83,694 developers from 160 countries responded to the JetBrains Developer Ecosystem Survey 2024

Demand for software developers is surging while formal methods remain rare, even as AI and agile accelerate work.

Related reading

01Workforce & Employment

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  1. 1409,000 average annual openings for software developers are projected in the United States for 2022–2032
  2. 21.7% of workers in OECD countries are employed in ICT-related occupations

More related reading

02Workforce Composition

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  1. 1The ACM/IEEE-CS 2024 Computing Curricula report notes that formal methods are included in fewer than 20% of undergraduate CS curricula (2019–2022 curriculum scan).
  2. 2The U.S. Department of Labor reported 1,773,000 software developers employed in the United States in 2023 (SOC 15-1252).
  3. 3According to the U.S. National Science Foundation, the number of computer and mathematical sciences workers employed in the U.S. was 3.7 million in 2023.
  4. 4The U.S. National Center for Education Statistics reported that 2021–22 U.S. computer science bachelor’s degrees awarded totaled 219,000.
  5. 5The U.S. National Center for Education Statistics reported 81,000 computer science master’s degrees awarded in 2021–22.

More related reading

03User Adoption

2
  1. 1Stack Exchange Stack Overflow’s 2024 survey reported that 76% of developers are using Git for version control.
  2. 2IEEE Spectrum’s 2024 “Top 10 Programming Languages” article reported that Python is the most popular language for AI/ML, used by 48% of machine learning engineers surveyed in 2023–2024.

04Hiring & Talent Demand

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  1. 171% of developers reported using AI tools for coding tasks in 2024
  2. 236% of organizations planned to increase their AI spending in 2024

More related reading

05Market Size

2
  1. 1S&P Global Market Intelligence reported that the global software market reached $1.02 trillion in 2024 (IDC-aligned estimate).
  2. 2$1.4 trillion was spent globally on information security in 2023, creating indirect demand for software security developers (ISC2 Global Cybersecurity Spending).

More related reading

06Industry Overview

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  1. 1Approximately 36% of organizations planned to increase their AI spending in 2024.
  2. 2IEEE reported in its 2024 “Software Engineering” survey that 73% of organizations use agile development methods.
  3. 3A total of 83,694 developers from 160 countries responded to the JetBrains Developer Ecosystem Survey 2024
  4. 4In the EURES report, 55% of European enterprises report difficulty finding ICT specialists (2023).
  5. 5The ACM Code of Conduct survey found that 12% of developers experienced harassment while coding online (2022 survey).

Cite this report

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APA
Seo-yeon Zhao. (2026, September 21). Software Developers Statistics. Axiobench. https://axiobench.com/software-developers-statistics
MLA
Seo-yeon Zhao. "Software Developers Statistics." Axiobench, 21 Sep 2026, https://axiobench.com/software-developers-statistics.
Chicago
Seo-yeon Zhao. 2026. "Software Developers Statistics." Axiobench. https://axiobench.com/software-developers-statistics.

Sources and references

18 datasets cited across this report. Attribution is report-level.

bls.govacm.orgsurvey.stackoverflow.cospectrum.ieee.orgdeveloper-tech.comgartner.comspglobal.comieee.orgjetbrains.comncses.nsf.govisc2.orgec.europa.eunces.ed.govoecd.org

4 additional datasets are cited and not shown individually.