Based on recent data, there's an interesting story here. Ada has actually experienced a remarkable resurgence, while Rust faces some different dynamics despite its continued popularity.

Ada's Recent Trajectory:
Ada climbed to 9th place in the TIOBE Programming Community Index in July 2025, its highest-ever ranking, after being around 24th place just a year earlier. This represents a significant comeback driven by several factors:

  • Growing demand for memory-safe and secure programming in critical systems
  • Industries like avionics are returning to Ada after experimenting with C++, and similar shifts are occurring in automotive
  • Even Nvidia is testing out Ada

Rust's Position:
Rust remains highly regarded but faces different challenges. Around 2.3 million developers use Rust, with 709,000 identifying it as their primary language. It's been the most loved language on Stack Overflow for nine consecutive years, though currently only about 15% of developers use it.

However, the TIOBE CEO noted that established languages like Ada, Visual Basic, and Fortran are holding their own, asking "Where are Rust, Kotlin, Dart, and Julia? Apparently, established languages are hot."

Can Ada Keep Attraction vs. Rust?
Yes, there's definitely a chance, particularly in these areas:

  1. Different domains: Ada dominates in certified safety-critical systems (aerospace, defense, medical devices, nuclear) where decades of certification work and proven track records matter immensely. Rust is stronger in modern web services, systems programming, and newer domains.

  2. Complementary strengths: While Rust's memory model goes further than Ada's pointer-avoidance strategy in applicable cases, Ada's strong specification and typing enable consistency checking where Rust cannot yet. Ada with SPARK offers formal verification capabilities that exceed what Rust provides.

  3. Momentum factors: Ada benefits from renewed attention to memory safety across government and industry, plus its established position in critical infrastructure that won't be rewritten. Rust continues growing but faces challenges around its steep learning curve and compilation complexity.

Ref AdaCore
Ref Developer Tech News
Ref: Jetbrains
Ref Medium
Ref: techrepublic
Ref AdaCore

Rust programming language popularity 2025

  • [jetbrains.com] Is Rust the Future of Programming? | The RustRover Blog
  • [zenrows.com] Is Rust Still Surging in 2025? Usage and Ecosystem Insights
  • [travis.media] Rust in 2025: 12 Compelling Reasons Why Developers Should Master This Powerful Language
  • [ishir.com] Is Rust Programming Language Worth The Hype in 2025? Is The Hype a Bust or a Boom
  • [medium.com] Is Rust Still Popular in 2025? Usage & Trends
  • [geeksforgeeks.org] The Future of Rust in 2025 [Top Trends and Predictions]
  • [medium.com] Why no one is talking about Rust in 2025
  • [medium.com] Why Rust Is the Most Loved Programming Language | by Mehdi BAFDIL | Nov, 2025
  • [infoworld.com] Rust resumes rise in popularity
  • [medium.com] Rust Programming in 2025. 10 Web App Ideas That Showcase its… | by Kevin Finnerty

Ada vs Rust memory safety comparison

  • [ajxs.me] How Does Ada's Memory Safety Compare Against Rust?
  • [ycombinator.com] How does Ada's memory safety compare against Rust? | Hacker News
  • [ycombinator.com] Is Ada safer than Rust? | Hacker News
  • [ycombinator.com] This idea that Rust and Ada are somehow alternatives continually pops up, and I ... | Hacker News
  • [adacore.com] Ada and Rust are highlighted by the NSA and CISA in Memory Safe…
  • [adaforge.org] Rust vs Ada
  • [adacore.com] Should I choose Ada, SPARK, or Rust over C/C++? | The AdaCore Blog
  • [rust-lang.org] If Ada is already very safe, why Rust? - The Rust Programming Language Forum
  • [stackshare.io] Ada vs Rust | What are the differences?
  • [github.com] AoC2023/More_Detailed_Comparison.md at master · johnperry-math