Web development has grown as an industry in the past few decades, and it’s projected to grow even more in the near future. Now is a great time to become a web developer if you’re looking for a career with the promise of growth – but how big is the industry currently?
The web development industry is made up of 26.2 million developers worldwide, and the industry is growing faster than average. By 2030, there are projected to be 45 million web developers across the world. This growth is largely due to the increasing digitization of goods and services.
Read on to learn more about how and why the web development industry is growing. This article will discuss what industries are on the rise and which industries are on their way out or are in decline.
How Many Web Developers Are There in the World?
As of 2023, there are 27.7 million developers in the world. They are largely concentrated within the United States, Europe, and India. In the United States, there are approximately 4.3 million web developers.
Web developers in the United States are concentrated in the Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland areas and in Washington state.
Germany has roughly 901,000 developers, and the U.K. has nearly 849,000. Europe is home to about 5.5 million web developers.
In 2020, there were 537 million active websites on the internet, explaining the high demand for web developers.
The Most Common Coding Languages
The most popular coding languages are:
- Java
- PHP
- JavaScript
- .NET
- C++
- Python
- C#
As of 2009, 9 million developers were using Java worldwide. 6.1 million PHP developers were employed as of 2019.
Keep in mind that there are several different ways to measure the popularity of a coding language. The above list was generated based on the number of developers currently using each language.
In contrast, C is the most popular language based on the TIOBE Index, and Python is the most popular based on the PYPL Index.
I have learned JavaScript and PHP coding languages. But now at work I only use JavaScript, both for front-end and also back-end.
Is Web Development a Growing Industry?
Web development is a growing industry. In 2023, there are projected to be 27.7 million web developers worldwide. By the year 2030, there are projected to be over 45 million web developers in the world.
Why Web Development Is Growing as an Industry
Web development is growing as an industry because an increasingly large number of companies are creating websites and offering online sales and because governments are increasingly offering online services to reach more people.
Fifteen percent of all retail sales are now made online. The rapid growth of e-commerce throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has made web developers more essential than ever, as companies are relying upon their digital services to survive. This growth has been especially sharp in emerging economies in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Governments have also responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with increasing digital offerings. For example, the Costa Rican government created a platform to facilitate trade for businesses with no independent online presence. They also introduced a mobile app and texting service to support continued trade between producers of goods.
All of these offerings require the expertise of web developers, leading to growth in the industry.
What Types of Careers Are There in Web Development?
Web developers generally follow one of three major career paths: front end, back end, and full stack. While they can be employed in many different industries, these roles will remain the same, or very similar, across industries.
Front End
Front-end web developers (also known as client-side web developers) are concerned with the user interface that someone sees when browsing a website or using an application. They use languages like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to make functional versions of design prototypes, integrating data into a dynamic design.
Suggested read: Here is the article that I wrote on how much JavaScript do you need to know to get a job in front-end development.
Their ultimate responsibility is to make sure the website visitors find each page as easy to interact with as possible and to ensure that the user experience is optimized. They commonly use a combination of graphic design and web development skills in their work and will often use both core editing tools (like Notepad and Eclipse) and graphic design tools (like Photoshop and Illustrator).
Suggested read: Do web developers need to know Photoshop.
Back End
Back-end web developers are concerned with the way data is processed by the server. They use languages like PHP, SQL, and Java to facilitate communication between the server and the databases. They work closely with information technologists, and they may work as information technology programmers using the same languages they used for the web.
Back-end developers who assume roles as information technology programmers can expect to manage and maintain databases, organize large bodies of information, and ensure that data is being processed accurately and efficiently.
Suggested read: When is the time to learn back-end development.
Full Stack
Full-stack web developers have both front-end and back-end web development skills. They use both sets of skills to create dynamic, functional web pages.
Most full-stack developers start by learning front-end skills, then develop back-end skills as they progress in their careers. However, this progression isn’t a hard-and-fast rule.
What Industries Are Hiring Web Developers?
The biggest employers of web developers are companies in computer systems design and related industries. Additionally, a significant number of web developers are employed in the information technology, technical consulting, and public relations industries.
About 16% of all web developers are freelancers. This means they work by contract, usually charging an hourly or per-project rate rather than collecting a salary.
As more of the world becomes digitized, a greater number of industries are beginning to rely on web developers. This change has become even more prominent due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen much of the world becoming dependent on digital communication and remote services.
Conclusion
The web development industry is growing significantly, and it currently employs 26.2 million people. The industry has seen an especially large boost during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many people have become dependent on digital services and online communication.
Overall, the digital revolution has transformed how we exchange goods, services, and communication, and these changes have made web development more prominent and more necessary as a skill.