Coding nations: The top countries for developer talent
In today’s highly interconnected world, technical talent has become a global phenomenon. Software engineers across the world are actively driving innovation, building cutting-edge solutions and digital experiences that power our daily lives.
Silicon Valley no longer holds a monopoly on best computer programmers. From Eastern Europe to Latin America, from Africa to South Asia – talented developers continue to emerge from different corners of the globe. But which nation is leading the pack in producing top tech professionals primed to build the technologies of the future?
We analyzed the tech workforce across borders, considering factors such as proficiency in coding languages, education levels, and domain expertise to map out the modern landscape of global developer talent. Read on to discover comprehensive rankings of the top countries making strides in software engineering.
Which country has the best tech talent?
As digital transformation accelerates across industries, demand for skilled software developers continues to outpace supply. Businesses around the world have been on the hunt for tech specialists to support transformation efforts, adapt products and services, strengthen security for remote work, and modify infrastructure to increase flexibility.
With competition for highly skilled workers heating up, companies need to understand which offshore locations can offer the best coders to stay ahead in the race for technological excellence and innovation. Since we know how crucial it is for businesses to gain visibility into the global tech talent landscape, we have collected data from various platforms to benchmark countries that boast vast talent pools of skilled programmers available for hire.
Topcoder, a global crowdsourcing platform that unites over 1.7 million digital specialists from 190+ countries, offers its members a wide range of challenges spanning design, software development, data science, and quality assurance. Based on the number of first-place finishes in competition tracks the site generates an up-to-date ranking of the world’s top spots for quality IT talent.
India, China, and the US once again prove their tech supremacy forming the top 3 of Topcoder’s leaderboard. Indonesia currently holds 4th position, while Canada is #5. The next five spots are taken by Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Vietnam and the Philippines.
According to the latest SkillValue report, the top 5 countries with the best programmers in the world are:
- Moldova
- Mexico
- Romania
- Ukraine
- United States
This ranking is based on insights garnered from 500K developer tests, across over 160 skills and different levels of proficiency. SkillValue’s technical assessment platform offers customized evaluations that allow developers to validate their tech expertise in relation to peers. It also comes with a proprietary recruitment algorithm designed to help companies make data-driven hiring decisions to build optimal engineering teams.
Several years ago, HackerRank, a leading tech platform that analyzes data from more than 1.5 million members, posted an extensive ranking of the countries with the best programmers. Developers from all over the world participated in challenges in a variety of languages and tech domains. The most popular area of knowledge at the time was algorithms, with nearly 40% of all coders competing. Java and data structures completed the top 3 with about 10% each. Other popular skills that were tested included mathematics, AI, functional programming, databases, distributed systems and security.
To determine which countries produce the most proficient developers, the platform analyzed the average assessment scores for each nation across a variety of domains. Based on a combination of accuracy and speed in completing coding challenges HackerRank created a list of countries with the best developers. The top 5 are:
- China
- Russia
- Poland
- Switzerland
- Hungary
The fact that China, one of the world’s biggest tech powerhouses with a vast talent pool of over 7 million IT specialists, outperformed everyone else didn’t come as a surprise. Yet, the US despite being home to a huge number of tech companies and industry luminaries like Bill Gates and Dennis Ritchie landed only 28th position. India, which has the third-biggest tech talent potential also didn’t make it to the top half. It ranks 31st, with a score of 76%.
At the same time, Eastern European countries prevail across the HackerRank leaderboard. Poland, Hungary, Czech republic, Ukraine and Romania came in among the top 20 countries, with the results ranging from 81.9% to 93.9%. The abundance of talented software engineers well-versed in major technologies has contributed to the fact that over the past few years, these countries have become magnets for tech companies seeking gateways to innovation ecosystems and thriving tech industries.
Which country is the most advanced in IT technology?
Looking across technology domains, no one country leads in everything, but each nation has specialized strengths that contribute to advancements in different technical domains.
According to HackerRank, Chinese developers are well-versed in data structures, mathematics, and functional programming. Polish programmers show good results in programming languages, being #1 in Java, # 2 in Python, # 4in shell, and #5 in Ruby. Ukrainian developers also earned their spot in the top 5, ranking well in several domains: mathematics, security, and distributed systems. In Western Europe, Switzerland is #1 when it comes to developer skills. Swiss programmers perform strongly in algorithms, databases, functional programming, security, Java, C++, SQL, and Ruby.
When examining technological prowess on the global stage, SkillValue looked at the programming languages and overall tech environment knowledge that developers in each country possess. Their data showed a strong link between the technical skills that companies need and the technology stacks that developers prefer to work with. The most in-demand programming languages globally are JavaScript, Java, and Python.
Which European countries boast the best programmers?
The fact that Eastern European countries surpassed the traditional coding giants in developer skills should not come as a surprise. This region has emerged as a hub for IT talent. With over 1 million software developers, Eastern Europe offers highly skilled specialists, convenient time zones, strong business infrastructure, and affordable rates.
The combination of tech expertise, business maturity, and English proficiency, allowed these Eastern European nations to become top destinations for software development outsourcing:
Poland
With a well-educated workforce, business-friendly environment, and proximity to Western Europe, Poland has developed into a leading tech powerhouse. Its robust IT outsourcing landscape thrives particularly in finance, accounting, and business services. With a strong emphasis on innovation and a growing network of tech startups, Poland continues to solidify its position as a prominent player in the global technology sector.
Romania
With over 142K software developers and an abundance of STEM graduates annually, Romania offers a large talent pool of engineers skilled in Java, C++, Python, and other programming languages. The country’s strong technical infrastructure, cybersecurity capabilities, and cultural proximity to Western clients make it an attractive choice for companies looking to scale software teams while maintaining great quality at competitive costs.
Hungary
With over 105K software developers, Hungary has established itself as a leading destination for IT services outsourcing. The country boasts a strong supply of high-quality engineering talent available at affordable rates. This has attracted major multinational companies like Cognizant, IBM, and Tata Consulting Services to set up development centers in Hungary. The presence of these IT leaders further reinforces Hungary’s reputation as a reliable option for offshore IT partnerships.
Ukraine
Ukrainian developers demonstrate particular strengths in cybersecurity, mathematics, and distributed systems, topping global rankings in those domains. With IT engineers highly trained in new technologies and relatively low labor costs, Ukraine has become an increasingly attractive destination for software development and testing services
Czech Republic
Leveraging extensive manufacturing expertise, the Czech republic has built a thriving technology ecosystem. The nation boasts a solid foundation in engineering and technical know-how, making it an attractive destination for IT companies seeking a blend of innovation, skilled labor, and strategic geographic positioning within Europe.
Final thoughts
As the global tech landscape is evolving, businesses seeking to thrive in this digital age must strategically tap into the diverse talent pools around the world. Whether through outsourcing or building distributed teams, understanding and leveraging the strengths of various countries is key to staying competitive and innovative in the modern tech industry.
Today Eastern European nations stand out as prime destinations for software development outsourcing. With technical specializations, business maturity, English skills, and affordable talent, countries like Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, and the Czech republic offer much value.
If you consider leveraging their technical capabilities for your own company’s success, Grid Dynamics is a perfect partner for you. Based on your specific business needs and technology stack requirements, we can help you access the programming strengths of top talent hubs worldwide. Contact us to learn more about building a remote development team.
