Rust Programming Language Sees Continued Growth and High User Satisfaction, Survey Finds

The Rust programming language continues to gain traction among developers, with a recent survey revealing high levels of user satisfaction and increasing adoption in professional settings. The 2025 State of Rust Survey, conducted between November 17th and December 17th, 2025, gathered responses from 7,156 developers, indicating a slight decrease in participation compared to the previous year’s 7,310 respondents. Despite the slight dip in survey takers, the results largely mirror those of 2024, demonstrating consistent trends in the Rust community.

Rust Adoption Reaches Recent Heights

The survey data shows a significant increase in Rust usage over the years. In 2018, approximately 74.5% of respondents were actively using Rust, whereas 17.4% had never tried it. In contrast, the 2025 survey found that 91.7% of respondents currently use Rust, with an additional 4.9% having used it in the past. This leaves only 3.4% who have yet to experiment with the language.

Reasons for Non-Adoption

For those who haven’t yet adopted Rust, the primary reasons cited were a preference for other languages (reported by one-third of respondents) and a lack of opportunity to use it due to external factors. A quarter of respondents found Rust “too difficult to learn,” and just under 10% were put off by the community. However, a substantial 60% of this group expressed a willingness to use Rust in the future when the opportunity arises.

Increased Frequency and Expertise

Among current Rust users, the frequency of use is steadily increasing. 55% now use Rust on a daily basis, while only 15% use it less than weekly. Developer expertise in Rust is also growing, with 57% reporting they are “productive writing Rust” and less than 2% admitting they “can’t write Rust code.”

Rust in the Workplace

The use of Rust in professional settings continues to rise, with 40% of respondents now using it for the majority of their perform coding. The survey also revealed positive trends regarding the experience of using Rust at work. For the fourth consecutive year, more respondents agreed that “Using Rust helps us achieve our goals” (85% in 2025, compared to 82% in 2024 and 72% in 2022). Fewer respondents reported that “Adopting Rust has been challenging” (31% in 2025, down from 34% in 2024 and 38% in 2022). Positive sentiment towards future Rust adoption remains strong, with 78% stating they are “likely to use Rust again in the future,” and 65% believing that “Using Rust has been worth the cost of adoption.” Concerns about Rust slowing down team progress have also decreased, with only 6% of respondents agreeing with that statement.

Experienced Programming Community

The Rust community is comprised of experienced programmers. 61% of respondents have more than 10 years of programming experience, and another 22% have between 5 and 10 years. Only 5% have less than 3 years of programming experience.

Job Market Perceptions

Respondents expressed mixed views on Rust job opportunities. While 35% agreed that existing Rust jobs are attractive, opinions were more divided regarding job availability for both senior and junior programmers. 19% agreed it’s easy for senior programmers to find Rust jobs, while 26% disagreed and 56% were neutral. The perception was even more challenging for junior programmers, with only 3% agreeing it’s easy to find Rust jobs, 54% disagreeing, and 43% remaining neutral. Despite these perceptions, the vast majority of respondents (93%) believe that “Rust provides a real benefit over other programming languages,” 84% find “Rust is fun to use,” and only 35% consider it “significantly more complicated to program in than other languages.”

For more information, witness the 2025 State of Rust Survey Results.