The cryptocurrency development landscape experienced a slight cooling in 2024, with overall developer numbers dipping slightly compared to the previous year. However, the long-term trend remains positive, fueled by a surge of new developers exploring the space and a significant increase in experienced developers. A key geographical shift also occurred, with Asia surpassing North America as the leading hub for crypto development.
While 39,148 new developers entered the crypto arena in 2024, the total number of developers saw a marginal decline of 7%. This mixed growth pattern suggests a maturing ecosystem, with established developers playing an increasingly prominent role. Indeed, the number of developers with two or more years of experience reached an all-time high, growing by 27% year-over-year and contributing 70% of code commits.
The geographical center of gravity for crypto development also shifted in 2024. Asia ascended to the top spot in terms of developer share, pushing North America down to third place. India emerged as a driving force behind this shift, onboarding the largest number of new crypto developers during the year. While the US remains the leading individual country for crypto developers with a 19% share, this represents a significant drop from its 38% share in 2015.
Despite the slight dip in overall developer numbers, the long-term growth trajectory remains strong. Since Ethereum’s launch in 2015, the crypto developer community has expanded by an average of 39% annually. This sustained growth underscores the continued interest and investment in the future of decentralized technologies.
The report also highlighted interesting trends in crypto activity across different time zones. Stablecoin transactions showed consistent activity, increasing by 2-3% during Asian, European, and African working hours. NFT trading peaked during American working hours, while minting activity was highest during Asian working hours, demonstrating the diverse global adoption of different crypto use cases.
The data also revealed a growing trend towards cross-chain development. One in three crypto developers now work on multiple blockchains, a significant increase from less than 10% in 2015. Ethereum maintained its dominance as the leading ecosystem for total developer activity across all continents. Bitcoin developer numbers remained consistent, with 42% focused on scaling solutions. Solana emerged as the top ecosystem for new developers in 2024, experiencing an impressive 83% year-over-year growth. Within the Ethereum ecosystem, Base accounted for a substantial 42% of new code written.
