Here are a few initial insights—we look forward to seeing what others find in the data:
-GitHub's open source community is growing fast. The 2024 survey responses closely resemble those from - 2017, showing that while challenges and concerns persist, the significant increase in community size - (up more than 75 million users in the last 7 years) has not led to a decrease in community - experience. This suggests that while challenges and concerns remain, onboarding millions of new - users and contributors has made the community larger, not weaker.
-One of the largest changes from 2017 to 2024 is an increased tendency to respond to rather than - ignore harassment: ignore went from 49% to 38%, while each specific response, from blocking to - various forms of reporting, increased. This could indicate a long term change in behavioral norms in - open source projects.
+By designing questions with a focus on long-term trends, we were able to ask the same questions + again, and see how things have changed over time. We also addressed emerging themes in software, + adding in questions on AI, funding, innersource, security, and innovation to help capture the latest + dynamics in open source.
+Here are three major trends from this year’s survey:
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- Security in open source is a priority: Secure by design + is gaining traction, with 82% of respondents considering it important when deciding to use an + open source project and 62% when choosing whether to contribute. +
- AI adoption is growing: The use of AI tools like GitHub Copilot is on the rise + with 72% of open source respondents reporting they use these tools for coding or documentation. + +
- Open source is getting more diverse: More respondents identified as ethnic + minorities in their country of birth (18% in 2024, up from 13% in 2017) and immigrants (31% in + 2024, up from 27% in 2017)—and we anticipate an increasingly diverse open source community as + the global developer community grows. +
These are just a few of our initial insights—we look forward to seeing what others find in the data.
+Security and AI: A new benchmark
+In 2024, we introduced questions centered on "secure by design" to + gain insights into how open source projects are assessed for security practices. 82% of participants + consider it essential when deciding to use a project and 62% see it as important when choosing + whether to contribute. Improving project security has become a significant motivator for + contributions.
Thinking of the last time you experienced harassment, how did you respond? Choose all that apply.
- +When thinking about whether to use open source software, how important are the following things?
+ +When thinking about whether to contribute to an open source project, how important are the following + things?
+Open source is slowly becoming more diverse. For instance, in 2017, 26% of respondents identified as - immigrants, rising to 30% in 2024. Additionally, while 79% of respondents in 2017 were not - minorities in their country of birth, that figure decreased to 70% in 2024.
+ We also included benchmark questions on open source AI. We found that while 35% of employers disallow + the use of open source AI models, only 17% express similar uncertainty or restrictions around + traditional open source dependencies. Interestingly, we're seeing a greater portion of developers unsure + about their ability to use AI models compared to traditional open source dependencies. However, those + who contribute to AI projects report a higher awareness of responsible AI practices and best practices + overall. Notably, using AI tools is more common (73% report usage) than contributing to AI projects (74% + have never contributed).Do you currently live in a country other than the one in which you were born?
- -Thinking of where you were born, are you a member of an ethnicity or nationality that is considered a - minority in that country?
- +Which is closest to your employer's policy on incorporating open source AI models into your codebase? +
+ +Which is closest to your employer's policy on incorporating open source + dependencies into your codebase?
+ +How often do you engage in or observe each of the following activities?
+ +Have awareness of and follow applicable
+ ethics/governance/responsibility/safety/security practices, filtered for respondents who contribute to projects that use AI models or AI infrastructure
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Community attitudes around privacy are changing in complex ways. Perhaps the largest, and most - interesting change in responses: in 2017, 43% of respondents preferred not to say their age, while - in 2024, only 4% did. Meanwhile, fewer respondents support anonymous code contributions (2017: 60%, - 2024: 51%) while more people contribute using a pseudonym not linked to their real name (2017: 12%, - 2024: 20%). Given this complexity, we think it’s important to focus on secure design, processes, and - tools to enable collaboration across projects and contributors that have different preferences for - privacy and identification.
+Shifting behaviors and norms
+Diversity within the open source community has steadily increased over the years. In 2024, 30% of + respondents identified as immigrants, up from 26% in 2017. Additionally, the percentage of + respondents who do not identify as minorities in their home countries has declined from 79% to 70%, + reflecting a broader range of perspectives and backgrounds in the community.
What is your age?
- -Which of the following statements is closest to your beliefs about attribution in software development? -
- +Do you currently live in a country other than the one in which you were born?
+Which of the following best describes your practices when making open source contributions?
- +Thinking of where you were born, are you a member of an ethnicity or nationality that is considered a + minority in that country?
+Speaking of secure by design, in 2024 we added “security by design” as a new option among things - people think about when deciding to use or contribute to open source projects. We wanted to - benchmark this term, which has been increasingly - used to promote a range of secure development best practices ultimately intended to make users and - society more secure and resilient. 82% of respondents identified security by design as an important - consideration for using an open source project, and 62% consider it as a factor for whether to - contribute to a project. Of course, improving the security of a project is a great reason to - contribute!
+The survey revealed a significant shift in the community's approach to harassment since 2017. While + 49% of respondents in 2017 reported ignoring harassment, that figure dropped to 38% in 2024. This + change highlights an increase in proactive actions within the open source community, with more + individuals taking steps such as blocking and reporting incidents to address harassment directly. +
When thinking about whether to use open source software, how important are the following things?
- -When thinking about whether to contribute to an open source project, how important are the following - things?
- +Thinking of the last time you experienced harassment, how did you respond? Choose all that apply.
+We also added a few benchmark questions about open source AI. Unsurprisingly, employers are more - uncertain about incorporating open source AI models into their codebases (50% do not have a clear or - known policy, or do not permit their usage) than about incorporating traditional open source - dependencies into their codebases (17% reported unclear or not allowed). We also asked about use of - and contribution to AI tools, and awareness of responsible AI practices when using and contributing. - Use is unsurprisingly higher (e.g., only 27% of respondents had never used a tool like Copilot for - writing code or documentation) than contribution (e.g., 74% of respondents had never contributed to - an AI infrastructure project), but contribution is also associated with higher awareness of and - following responsible AI practices (only 14% never) than using (29% never).
+Privacy perspectives are evolving
+Community attitudes toward privacy have also shifted. For instance, in 2017, 43% of respondents + preferred not to disclose their age, a figure that dropped to only 4% in 2024. At the same time, + fewer respondents support anonymous code contributions (down from 60% in 2017 to 51% in 2024), while + more people are contributing under pseudonyms (12% in 2017 vs. 20% in 2024). These changes highlight + the importance of secure, privacy-respecting tools and processes to foster inclusive collaboration. +
Which is closest to your employer's policy on incorporating open source AI models into your codebase? -
- -Which is closest to your employer's policy on incorporating open source - dependencies into your codebase?
- -How often do you engage in or observe each of the following activities?
- -Have awareness of and follow applicable
- ethics/governance/responsibility/safety/security practices, filtered for respondents who contribute to projects that use AI models or AI infrastructure
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-
+ What is your age?
+Which of the following statements is closest to your beliefs about attribution in software development? +
+ +Which of the following best describes your practices when making open source contributions?
+ +Finally, we introduced a question to measure financial and in-kind support for open source from - employers, governments, and investors. Although the percentage of respondents reporting “frequent” - support is still low, we see a positive sign: only around 50% of respondents selected “never.” This - signals a wide green space for growth and opportunity.
+Financial support for open source
+This year, we explored the levels of financial and in-kind support for open source from employers, + governments, and investors. Although only a small percentage of respondents engage in or observe + "frequent" support, in most categories, just 50% selected "never"—indicating that there is room for + growth and potential investment in open source sustainability.
How often do you engage in or observe each of the following activities?
+How often do you engage in or observe each of the following activities?
While many experiences around open source contribution and usage remain stable since we last - performed this survey in 2017, we note the following interesting changes:
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- The privacy and anonymity concerns of contributors are being challenged by the needs of supply - chain security -
- The impact of AI's recent arrival requires companies to update and share their policies with - their developers -
- Despite our vast increase in size, problems are not getting worse -
To drive the future of open source forward, more organizations, governments, and funders need to - actively contribute to the sustainability of the ecosystem—whether through funding, resources, or - direct participation with open source projects and communities.
+GitHub's $1.25M OSS investment
+GitHub recently launched the GitHub + Secure Open Source Fund to help connect funders and maintainers address security and + sustainability.
+We recognize our responsibility to help sustain and empower the open source ecosystem that is + essential not just to the functioning of GitHub, but the critical digital + infrastructure underpinning all sectors of the economy, governments, and civil society. We + also support open source maintainers and contributors with practical resources, security tools and + best practices that make it easier to build and maintain resilient projects.
+Moving forward together
+Over 75 million new users have joined GitHub in the past seven years and the community has been + strengthened rather than weakened. The influx of participants is reinforcing the community’s + resilience and vibrancy.
+To drive open source forward, we call on organizations, governments, and funders to invest in the + ecosystem, whether through financial contributions, resources, or direct collaboration with open + source communities. Together, we can shape a stronger, more diverse, and secure open source future. +