Software Development Statistics: Market, Tools, and Companies (2024)

Software development is among the fastest-growing industries in the world in terms of demand. As it gains more relevance and prominence in the modern world, it becomes necessary to understand its developing trends. That’s where this list of software development statistics comes in.

In this article, you will learn all the pivotal information about the software development industry, from its workers to predictions for its future. Let’s take a look!

A Look at the Software Development Market

1. Demand for AR/VR software engineers grew by 1,400% in 2019.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) software development blew up in recent years. As the data demonstrates, VR and AR developers were the most popular types of software engineers by far, with demand for them rising by a whopping 1,400% in 2019.

In comparison, demand for gaming engineers rose by 146%. That is still impressive, but it hardly measures up to the increasing demand AR/VR engineers have been enjoying.

2. The employment of software developers is projected to grow 22% between 2019 and 2029.

The ever-growing demand for new apps on various devices and the ongoing digitization of data drive the need for more software developers. This growth explains why the software developers’ job market is expected to increase by 22% by 2029.

Software developer job growth outpaces many other professions by miles. The average growth rate of all occupations in the U.S. economy from 2019 to 2029 is around 4%.

3. The worldwide public cloud services market is forecast to grow by 17% in 2020.

Providing relief in physical resource spending and cutting computer-related emissions, it’s clear to see why cloud services have skyrocketed. Looking at the software engineering trends, we can see that the cloud market will grow by approximately 17% in 2020.

The Software as a Service (SaaS) market segment will be the biggest investor in cloud technology, which should grow to $116 billion in 2020. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is another market primed to expand cloud services, which will increase to $50 billion.

4. There were around 4.2 million software engineers in the United States in 2015.

According to software engineering statistics, the United States had around 4.2 million software engineers in 2015. Washington seems to have the highest concentration of them, with 6.46% of the total Washington workforce being active in this industry.

When looking at absolute numbers, software development statistics tell us that California has the most developers (628,414). That’s twice as many as in Texas, which only has 324,717 and takes second place on this list.

5. The IT outsourcing market is growing at a rate of over 4%.

Outsourcing software developers offer a range of benefits that can help companies push a project into efficient excellence. It’s not much of a surprise to learn that the outsourcing market for developers is on a steady rise.

As the statistics on software development indicate, the CAGR for outsourced developers is around 4.42%. The majority will come from workers in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region, accounting for 60% of the overall growth.

6. There are 5.9 million Android software developers.

Given how many people use mobile devices (and increasingly more so for things like ecommerce), the mobile application developer job outlook is looking very positive at the moment. There will almost certainly be an increase in the number of mobile software developers in the future.

But how many Android developers are there right now? The data shows that there are almost 6 million Android developers worldwide. Meanwhile, there are an estimated 2.8 million iOS software developers.

7. The number of software developers will likely exceed 27.7 million by 2023.

The world is progressively reliant on data, and with this growing reliance comes a boost in the people who specialize in software engineering to keep this data freely available. In line with that notion, the number of software developers will most probably go beyond 27.7 million by 2023.

8. 29% of software developers contribute to open-source software to improve their coding skills.

Open-source software is praised by many for the unique benefits it contributes to the state of software development. One of the perks many appreciate about open-source software lies in the fact that programmers can use their coding skills to change the software in any way they please.

This idea of tinkering with code is what many software developers find attractive. Around 29% of them see it as an exciting challenge, which they cite as to why they contribute to open-source software.

9. In 2020, software developer job postings have dropped by 8%.

Software development is a highly lucrative profession, and the need for developers is almost always on the rise. The emphasis is on “almost,” however. In the current times gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that many job opportunities have failed to grow.

As we can see from the 2020 software development jobs statistics, the number of software developer job postings decreased by 8%. Senior software developer postings suffered a little more, slimming down by 11%. Meanwhile, openings for business intelligence analysts shrunk by 13%.

A Look at Software Developers and Their Preferred Tools

10. With an average annual salary of $105,406, Washington has the best-paid software engineers in the United States.

If you are a software developer wondering which part of the US would be best for you, Washington may be the best place. Regarding average annual salary, this is considered one of the best places for software engineers.

The average software engineer in Washington can expect pay to exceed $100,000. Logically, this state also has the highest percentage of software engineers in the US: 6.42% of its overall workforce.

11. The average software developer is 39.8 years old.

What is the average age of a software developer? While coming from many different demographics, programmers are a little older on average. As it turns out, the typical developer is around 40 years old.

Interestingly, female programmers tend to be slightly older on average. Female programmers are 40.2 years old on average, compared to the average male programmer’s age of 39.7.

12. 51.7% of software developers work 40 to 44 hours a week.

Severe overtime is often associated with software development. While it certainly is a possibility (such as “crunch time” in gaming development), it’s not true that extreme working hours are the norm in this industry.

How many hours does a software developer work per week? As it turns out, the majority of developers will work a standard 40 hours per week. Positions like senior executives, engineering managers, and product managers do entail longer working hours, though.

13. 49.79% of software development teams use JIRA as their project management platform.

The majority of software developers use JIRA as their leading project management system. It’s comprehensive and flexible, which many of its users appreciate. Because of this, JIRA became one of the most used project management platforms.

The software development technology statistics confirm that developers use JIRA more than other project management tools. Almost 50% of software developers use JIRA, whereas the second-most used tool (Trello) only has 19.89% of software developers utilizing it.

14. 70% of software developers have used JavaScript in the last 12 months.

According to software development industry statistics, JavaScript is one of the most commonly used programming languages. Its ability to integrate with other languages and process different databases makes JavaScript a well-deserved go-to option for many developers. A vast majority (70%) have used it in the last 12 months.

One of the more interesting facts about software developers is that there isn’t a huge disparity between the most used languages. For example, HTML is the second most popular at 61%, and SQL places third at 56%. That reflects how each language shines in specific situations.

15. 44.1% of software developers use Python.

When looking at what languages do software developers use, it’s crucial to know that most software developers use several different programming languages since they work well for specific purposes. Apart from JavaScript, HTML, and SQL, Python is a frequently used language, with 44.1% of software developers using it regularly.

16. 38.5% of software testers use Selenium.

Selenium is a well-received piece of software testing automation software, praised for its multi-browser support, open-source availability, and support from various operating systems. That kind of adaptability placed it as a favorite for many a developer and tester.

Its traits enabled Selenium to become the most used software in the world for software testing. A little under 40% of all software testers routinely turn to Selenium for testing purposes.

Software Development Statistics for Companies

17. Around 24% of executives outsource software development.

Outsourcing can be an excellent way for companies to get software developers they can afford and rely on for quality results.

Even though time management and communication can be more complicated compared to when dealing with an in-house team, the benefits of outsourcing software developers usually outweigh these drawbacks.

The advantage of outsourcing is evident in offshore software development statistics, which prove its effectiveness in practice. Almost a quarter of executives lean on offshore developers to create their software.

18. 57% of IT companies plan to focus more on software development.

Software development stands as a high priority for the majority of IT companies. According to global software development statistics, 57% of these companies intend to devote more attention to software development. Other priorities include improvements to infrastructure and cybersecurity.

19. 47% of digitally mature companies have defined AI strategies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can automate software development processes, accelerating its creation by a wide margin. The upsides it brings to the table are becoming harder to ignore, which is why so many developers make it a point to have AI by their side while at work.

Artificial intelligence in software development statistics indicates that 47% of digitally advanced software development companies have detailed AI strategies.

Due to its promising benefits, many businesses, as well as the healthcare sector, are investing in AI. In fact, investment in top AI applications may result in $150 billion in annual savings by 2026, AI statistics show.

20. On average, the development stage of creating new software takes up 63% of the software department budget.

In the software development budget, actual development is the most expensive part. For this reason, it’s important to take into account an agile methodology process and different ways of development.

The development stage takes up around 63% of the average software development costs. In most cases, project management and quality assurance take up 15% each.

Key Takeaways

That wraps up this list of software development statistics. Hopefully, these facts have given you a better understanding of the industry’s state and its rise in importance. From emerging technologies that are blowing up in popularity to insights into the way developers work, the chances are that you’ve found at least a few good takeaways from this article.

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