TLDR
- Ethereum added over 16,000 new developers between January and September 2025.
- Ethereum now has 31,869 active developers across its leading network and layer-2s.
- Solana followed with around 11,500 new developers joining its ecosystem in 2025.
- Bitcoin attracted about 7,500 new developers during the same nine-month period.
- Solana’s developer base grew by 61.7 percent over the past two years, despite concerns about data.
Ethereum added more than 16,000 new developers between January and September 2025, according to the Ethereum Foundation. This growth reinforces Ethereum’s position as the most actively developed blockchain network globally. The increase also reflects the expanding support for Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem, including Arbitrum, Optimism, and Unichain.
Ethereum Remains the Leading Blockchain for Developer Activity
Ethereum leads with 31,869 active developers, making it the largest blockchain ecosystem in terms of development. The developer count includes contributors to Ethereum’s core and layer-2 networks, excluding those who work across multiple layers. This data comes from Electric Capital’s developer tracker and includes various projects defined by L2Beat.
While developer growth in Ethereum reached 5.8% year-over-year, it continued to maintain a steady upward trend. Ethereum’s consistent ecosystem and regulatory clarity remain key reasons behind its developer retention. Transparency and ease of integration also attract many developers to Ethereum over newer blockchains.
The Ethereum Foundation credited its community and tooling infrastructure for attracting thousands of new contributors in 2025. In Latin America, Ethereum dominates developer activity, accounting for over 75% of blockchain transactions in the region. This regional trend aligns with the broader global migration of developers to Ethereum’s stable ecosystem.
Solana Records Strong Developer Growth but Questions Dataset
Solana ranked second with around 11,500 new developers in 2025, according to the same Electric Capital dataset. However, the Solana Foundation disputed these figures, stating that the dataset misses many contributors. Jacob Creech from Solana said, “Roughly 7,800 developers are missing from the current dataset.”
Despite this, Solana reached 17,708 active developers by September 2025. This represents a 29.1% increase from last year and a 61.7% growth over the past two years. Solana’s developer activity has surged faster than Ethereum’s during this period.
Solana continues to attract developers due to fast execution times and scalable infrastructure. Nevertheless, tracking methods remain under review, with calls to improve the quality of repository submissions. The Foundation urged the community to update GitHub records to improve accuracy.
Bitcoin Sees Steady Developer Numbers with Slower Growth
Bitcoin saw approximately 7,500 new developers between January and September 2025, according to Electric Capital. It now has 11,036 active developers, placing it third among major blockchain ecosystems. Bitcoin’s developer base grows steadily but remains smaller than those of Ethereum and Solana.
While Bitcoin development continues, its pace lags behind more flexible platforms like Ethereum. The lack of innovative contract capabilities limits broader innovation on Bitcoin. Developers tend to favor ecosystems offering more programmable features, such as Ethereum’s EVM-compatible infrastructure.
