Best Programming Languages for Data Science in 2024

In today’s data-rich world, data science plays a crucial role in unlocking valuable insights from vast amounts of data. With an exponential increase in data production, the need for skilled data scientists proficient in programming languages tailored for data analysis and machine learning has never been more critical.

This article compiles the top programming languages essential for data science, offering a comprehensive overview of their features and applications. Whether you’re an aspiring data scientist or a seasoned professional looking to expand your skill set, understanding these languages is key to thriving in the data-driven landscape.

What is Data Science?

Data science is a field that involves using scientific methods, algorithms, and systems to extract insights and knowledge from structured and unstructured data. It combines various disciplines such as statistics, machine learning, data analysis, and programming to analyze and interpret complex data sets. The goal of data science is to uncover patterns, trends, and relationships in data that can be used to make informed decisions and predictions.

Master data science and machine learning with our “Complete Machine Learning & Data Science Program“! Learn from industry experts, gain hands-on experience, and advance your career. Enroll now!

Best Programming Languages for Data Science

Now, let’s explore the top and best-suited programming languages for data science, essential for mastering this dynamic field. These languages are carefully curated to provide a comprehensive understanding of data analysis, statistical modeling, machine learning, and data visualization. Each language offers unique advantages, empowering data scientists to tackle diverse challenges and unlock the full potential of data-driven insights. Whether you’re a beginner seeking a solid foundation or an experienced professional aiming to enhance your skills, mastering these Best Programming Languages for Data Science is crucial for success in the rapidly evolving field of data science.

1. Python

Python is one of the best programming languages for data science because of its capacity for statistical analysis, data modeling, and easy readability. Another reason for this huge success of Python in Data Science is its extensive library support for data science and analytics. There are many Python libraries that contain a host of functions, tools, and methods to manage and analyze data. Each of these libraries has a particular focus with some libraries managing image and textual data, data mining, neural networks, data visualization, and so on. For example, Pandas is a free Python software library for data analysis and data handling, NumPy for numerical computing, SciPy for scientific computing, Matplotlib for data visualization, etc.

2. R

When talking about Data Science, it is impossible not to talk about R. In fact, it can be said that R is one of the best languages for Data Science as it was developed by statisticians for statisticians! It is also very popular (despite getting stiff competition from Python!) with an active community and many cutting edge libraries currently available. In fact, there are many R libraries that contain a host of functions, tools, and methods to manage and analyze data. Each of these libraries has a particular focus with some libraries managing image and textual data, data manipulation, data visualization, web crawling, machine learning, and so on. For example, dplyr is a very popular data manipulation library, ggplot2 is a data visualization library, etc.

3. SQL

SQL or Structured Query Language is a language specifically created for managing and retrieving the data stored in a relational database management system. This language is extremely important for data science as it deals primarily with data. The main role of data scientists is to convert the data into actionable insights and so they need SQL to retrieve the data to and from the database when required. There are many popular SQL databases that data scientists can use such as SQLite, MySQL, Postgres, Oracledb, and Microsoft SQL Server. BigQuery, in particular, is a data warehouse that can manage data analysis over petabytes of data and enable super fats SQL queries.

4. MATLAB

MATLAB is a very popular programming language for mathematical operations which automatically makes it important for Data Science. And that’s because Data Science also deals a lot in math. MATLAB is so popular because it allows mathematical modeling, image processing, and data analysis. It also has a lot of mathematical functions that are useful in data science for linear algebra, statistics, optimization, Fourier analysis, filtering, differential equations, numerical integration, etc. In addition to all these, MATLAB also has built-in graphics that can be used for creating data visualizations with a variety of plots.

5. Java

Java is one of the oldest programming languages and it is pretty important in data science as well. Most of the big data and data science tools are written in Java such as Hive, Spark, and Hadoop. Since Hadoop runs on the Java virtual machine, it is important to fully understand Java for using Hadoop. Moreover, there are many Data science libraries and tools that are also in Java such as Weka, MLlib, Java-ML, Deeplearning4j, etc.

6. Scala

Scala is a programming language that is an extension of Java as it was originally built on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). So it can easily integrate with Java. However, the real reason that Scala is so useful for Data Science is that it can be used along with Apache Spark to manage large amounts of data. So when it comes to big data, Scala is the go-to language. Many of the data science frameworks that are created on top of Hadoop actually use Scala or Java or are written in these languages. However, one downside of Scala is that it is difficult to learn and there are not as many online community support groups as it is a niche language.

7. Julia

Julia is an extremely fast programming language and it can work with data even faster than Python, R, MATLAB, or JavaScript. Julia is also great for numerical analysis which makes it an optimal language for data science. Julia has mathematical libraries and data manipulation tools that are a great asset for data analytics but it also has packages for general-purpose computing. All in all, Julia has a total of 1900 packages available. It is also able to integrate with other programming languages like R, Python, Matlab, C, C++ Java, Fortran, etc. either directly or through packages.

8. Perl

Perl can handle data queries very efficiently as compared to some other programming languages as it uses lightweight arrays that don’t need a high level of focus from the programmer. It is also quite similar to Python and so is a useful programming language in Data Science. In fact, Perl 6 is touted as the ‘big-data lite’ with many big companies such as Boeing, Siemens, etc. experimenting with it for Data Science. Perl is also very useful in quantitative fields such as finance, bioinformatics, statistical analysis, etc.

Conclusion

Now that you know the top programming languages for data science, its time to go ahead and practice them! Each of these programming languages has its own importance and there is no such language that can be called a “correct language” for Data Science. For example, you may use Python for data analytics and also SQL data management. So, it is upon you to make the correct choice of language on the basis of your objectives and preferences for each individual project. And always remember, whatever your choice, it will only expand your skillset and help you grow as a Data Scientist!

FAQs

Why are programming languages important in data science?

Programming languages are essential in data science for data manipulation, analysis, visualization, and machine learning model implementation.

Which programming languages are best for data science?

Python, R, SQL, MATLAB, Java, Scala, Julia, and Perl are among the top programming languages for data science, each offering unique strengths and applications in data analysis and machine learning.

Can I use multiple programming languages for data science projects?

Yes, it’s common to use multiple programming languages in data science projects based on the specific requirements and strengths of each language for different tasks.

What skills are essential for a career in data science?

A career in data science requires a combination of technical skills such as programming, statistics, and machine learning, as well as soft skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, and effective communication.