Ethereum continued to maintain its position as the blockchain ecosystem with the largest number of developers in 2025, though Solana emerged as the fastest-growing network, capturing the industry’s attention with a surge in new talent. Data from Electric Capital indicated that Ethereum added 16,181 new developers between January and September 2025, reaching a total of 31,869 active contributors. Despite this, Solana’s year-on-year growth of 83% and 11,534 new developer additions positioned it as the most rapidly expanding blockchain ecosystem.
The contrasting narratives have drawn attention to a perception gap—while Ethereum remains dominant in overall developer participation, Solana’s growth momentum has shifted industry discussions in its favor. The Electric Capital report noted that Solana’s developer base now totals 17,708, roughly half of Ethereum’s count but expanding at a significantly faster rate. Bitcoin followed in third place with 7,494 new developers and 11,036 active contributors.
Developer Shifts and Market Dynamics
Industry-wide, the total number of crypto developers declined by about 7% in 2024, yet developers with more than two years of experience hit record highs, accounting for nearly 70% of all code commits. This shift indicated a maturing developer base focused on long-term projects and ecosystem stability.
While Ethereum retained its top position globally, it faces internal challenges related to compensation and retention. Dragonfly revealed in their 2024/2025 Crypto Compensation Report that Ethereum core developers earn a median salary of approximately $140,000—about 50% to 60% below prevailing market levels, where the average reaches $359,000. Some developers reportedly declined offers exceeding $700,000 to continue contributing to Ethereum’s core projects, reflecting strong ideological commitment despite pay disparities.
Dragonfly has distributed more than $33 million to developers since May 2022, providing a median annual payout of $67,121, which brings the overall compensation to around $207,000 per contributor. This remains roughly one-third below market standards. Nearly 40% of Ethereum developers were approached by rival blockchain networks offering higher packages, with researchers receiving the highest median compensation of $215,000, followed by client developers at $130,000.
Regional Growth and Multi-Chain Expansion
Ethereum’s developer ecosystem remains the largest on every continent, though Asia has now surpassed North America in total developer share. India led global onboarding, becoming the top source of new blockchain developers in 2024. The United States’ share of developer participation dropped to 19%, down from 38% a decade ago.
Electric Capital also reported a growing trend toward multi-chain development, with one in three crypto developers now contributing to multiple ecosystems, up from less than 10% in 2015. Base accounted for 42% of new code written within Ethereum’s ecosystem, underscoring the growing integration of layer-2 and multi-chain development efforts.
A separate study from Sherlock Communications highlighted Ethereum and Polygon as the preferred ecosystems among Latin American developers. The report found that between June 2024 and June 2025, Ethereum represented more than 75% of regional blockchain activity, while Polygon’s share doubled from 11% to 20%. Researchers observed that developers in the region prioritized technical maturity and practical applications over speculative projects.
Crypto Salaries Under Pressure Despite Market Gains
Even as crypto markets rallied in 2024–2025, developer compensation continued to decline across most roles, according to research from Dragonfly Capital. Entry-level positions were the most affected, while executive salaries rose sharply, creating what analysts termed a “barbell effect.”
International engineering executives earned between $530,000 and $780,000—surpassing their U.S. counterparts for the first time. Product management executives also commanded top salaries ranging from $390,000 to $484,000, while founders saw a 37% increase in pay, averaging $197,000.
Despite the general decline, specialized blockchain roles continued to attract premium pay. Senior smart contract engineers earned between $160,000 and $250,000, blockchain developers averaged $150,000 to $210,000, and zero-knowledge cryptographers commanded salaries of about $300,000.
Globally, hiring practices have shifted toward remote and distributed models, with 81% of companies adopting global-first hiring. Asia’s share of Web3 employment nearly doubled year-over-year to 41%, while remote and hybrid work structures remained dominant at 54% and 30% respectively.