The latest annual Python Developers Survey, born from a collaboration between the Python Software Foundation and JetBrains, took the pulse of over 30,000 developers to see what makes the community tick in 2025.
Michael Kennedy, a Python Software Foundation Fellow and the voice behind the “Talk Python to Me” podcast, analysed the data and found a number of trends. Among the most notable discoveries is just how new so many Python developers are.
“Exactly 50% of respondents have less than two years of professional coding experience!” Kennedy exclaimed. It’s a clear sign that Python’s reputation for being approachable and easy to learn is making it the first stop for a new generation of programmers.
This influx of fresh talent carries a message for the entire community: keeping things simple and accessible is more important than ever.
Python’s purpose in 2025
For years, it felt like Python’s world was neatly divided between web development, data science, and everything else. According to the latest findings, that balance has shifted decisively.
51% of developers now use Python for data exploration and processing, making it the language’s primary purpose. Kennedy suggests we need to “rethink that positioning now that one of those thirds is overwhelmingly the most significant portion of Python.” This isn’t just a trend; it’s a fundamental shift in the language’s centre of gravity, pulled by the immense force of AI and a constant stream of powerful new data tools.
But just when it seemed data was the only story, an old favourite made a comeback. After a few years of decline, web development has roared back into the picture, jumping from 42% usage in 2023 to 46% today.
The web framework FastAPI is riding this new wave, with its adoption rocketing from 29% to 38% in a year. Kennedy thinks this explosive growth is partly down to newcomers from the data science world who, when needing to build an API, “are likely choosing the hottest of the Python web frameworks, which today looks like it’s FastAPI.”
Costly habit and a secret weapon
Despite all the innovation, the 2025 survey found a widespread and costly habit: the vast majority of developers are running outdated Python versions. 83% are missing out on the latest updates, with most saying their current version works just fine or that they simply haven’t had time to upgrade.
Kennedy points out that this isn’t just about missing a few new features; it’s leaving serious performance gains on the table. An upgrade from Python 3.10, for example, could make code run about 42% faster without a single change.
For businesses, this translates to real money. Kennedy’s analysis suggests this reluctance to update could be costing a medium-sized business “potentially $420,000” a year, a figure that could jump to “$5.6M in savings” for a large company. As he puts it, “If your company realises you are burning an extra $0.4M-$5M a year because you haven’t gotten around to spending the day it takes to upgrade, that’ll be a tough conversation.”
Meanwhile, the community has found a powerful ally for boosting performance: the Rust programming language. Its use in building high-speed components for Python packages has grown massively. It was even revealed at the 2025 Python Language Summit that “Somewhere between one-quarter and one-third of all native code being uploaded to PyPI for new projects uses Rust.”
What lies ahead for Python developers: AI assistants, parallel power, and mobile dreams
AI coding assistants are set to become mainstream, with 49% of developers planning to try them soon, joining the 11% already on board. Kennedy notes that it’s becoming a must-have skill for new hires due to the productivity boost.
The core of Python is also about to get a major upgrade. Version 3.14 will fully welcome free-threaded Python, finally removing the infamous Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) that has long limited its ability to perform multiple tasks at once.
Free-threaded Python delivers true parallel processing power. As Kennedy explains, on his own 10-core computer, the current setup means “the maximum performance I can get out of a single Python process is 10% of what my machine is actually capable of.” However, this change will also challenge developers to get to grips with the complexities of concurrent programming.
Finally, the long-held dream of building native mobile apps with Python is inching closer to reality. Work is underway to make iOS and Android officially supported platforms, paving the way for Python developers to break into their respective app stores.
Driven by energy from a generation of new developers and pushed to new limits by the demands of data and AI, the state of Python in 2025 is strong, and its future looks incredibly exciting.
(Photo by Brecht Corbeel)
See also: Python targets phantom dependencies threat with SBOM proposal
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