The Rust Survey Working Group has reported impressive growth and increasing global adoption of the much-loved programming language.
The ‘State of Rust’ survey has been conducted for the past six years and provides valuable insights into the community’s sentiments and preferences regarding Rust.
9,433 “Rustaceans” completed the most recent survey, an impressive 82 percent completion rate compared to 76 percent in the previous year. The increased engagement demonstrated the rising interest in Rust and its evolving user base.
A notable aspect of the survey was the diverse participation, with responses coming from contributors, project maintainers, and Rust enthusiasts worldwide.
The survey was made available in 11 languages, including English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian. While 77 percent of respondents completed the survey in English, the language’s share among respondents decreased, indicating a growing global user base.
The survey indicated a surge in Rust usage, with over 90 percent of respondents identifying themselves as Rust users. Among Rust users, 47 percent reported using the language on a daily basis, signifying a 4 percent increase compared to the previous year.
30 percent of Rust users stated that they could write simple programs in Rust, while 27 percent were capable of producing production-ready code.
Respondents who stopped using Rust or never adopted it cited difficulty as the primary reason, with 30 percent and 26 percent respectively. However, the survey also highlighted that nearly half of the former Rust users discontinued usage due to factors outside their control.
The growth of Rust’s professional adoption was another noteworthy finding.
In 2022, 29.7 percent of respondents reported using Rust for the majority of their coding work at their workplaces—a significant 51.8 percent increase from the previous year.
Key factors contributing to the increased adoption at work were Rust’s perceived ability to produce “bug-free software” (86%), its performance characteristics (84%), and its security and safety guarantees (69%).
The survey also provided insights into the community’s concerns about the future of Rust.
One notable concern was the proper support for developers and maintainers. While this concern decreased 30 percent compared to the previous year, the Rust team say they aim to address this concern to further support the language’s growth.
Overall, the State of Rust Survey for 2022 revealed a positive outlook for the language, with a growing global community, increased professional adoption, and decreasing worries about its future.
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