Ethereum has solidified its position as the leading blockchain ecosystem for developers, attracting over 16,000 new contributors in the first nine months of 2025. Data from Electric Capital, cited by the Ethereum Foundation, reveals that 16,181 new developers joined the Ethereum community between January and September, surpassing all other blockchain platforms. This influx of talent reinforces Ethereum's dominance in Web3 innovation and smart contract development.
The data also highlights Ethereum's robust active developer base, which stands at 31,869. This is nearly double the number of active developers on Solana, its closest competitor, which boasts 17,708 active developers. The substantial difference underscores Ethereum's strong community engagement, open-source infrastructure, and developer retention rates.
Solana and Bitcoin followed Ethereum in attracting new developers, with 11,534 and 7,494 new contributors respectively. While Solana has shown impressive growth, particularly in decentralized finance (DeFi) and consumer-facing applications, Ethereum remains the preferred choice for developers entering the crypto space. Bitcoin, traditionally viewed as a store of value, has also seen increased developer activity, driven by interest in Layer-2 solutions and applications beyond simple holding.
Ethereum's success in attracting and retaining developers can be attributed to several factors. The network offers established tooling, comprehensive documentation, and a thriving community, creating an environment where developers can easily build, test, and deploy new products. Continuous advancements in rollups, protocol upgrades like EIP-4844, and the evolution of Ethereum's proof-of-stake consensus model have collectively made the network more efficient and appealing to developers. The upcoming Proto-Danksharding upgrade is expected to further enhance Layer-2 solutions, solidifying Ethereum's lead.
Ethereum's dominance extends to decentralized finance (DeFi), where it remains the undisputed leader. The network accounts for a significant share of open-source contributions across DeFi, infrastructure tooling, and decentralized application (dApp) development. Moreover, new protocols, interoperability standards, and financial primitives are often developed and piloted within the Ethereum ecosystem before being adopted elsewhere. The total value locked (TVL) in DeFi projects on Ethereum exceeds $87.2 billion.
The growth of Ethereum's Layer-2 ecosystem, including networks like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base, also plays a crucial role in its continued leadership. These Layer-2 solutions improve scalability and user experience, attracting both developers and users to the Ethereum ecosystem. As of late 2025, over $52.94 billion is locked in second-layer networks built on Ethereum, marking a 28.8% increase over the past year.
Despite increasing competition from other blockchain platforms, Ethereum's consistent developer growth and retention signal long-term sustainability and innovation leadership in the blockchain sector. Developer activity is widely regarded as a reliable indicator of a blockchain's future success, and Ethereum's thriving developer community positions it as the foundational layer for decentralized finance, NFTs, and the next generation of Web3 applications. As more developers build on Ethereum, the ecosystem benefits from enhanced interoperability, better developer education, and faster innovation cycles.
