๐งต The Shortage of Open Source Contributors: Myth or Reality?
Unfortunately โ itโs reality ๐
Do you know how many developers there are in the world today?
๐ According to Evans Data Corporation, in 2024 there are over 28.7 million developers globally.
Sounds like everything should be built already, right?
But letโs look at how many actually contribute to open sourceโฆ
๐ Linux Foundation Report (2024)
Based on this survey of 332 developers involved in OSS:
๐ฅ Out of 332 people:
๐ฅ Even among this engaged group, only 17% are consistently active contributors*.
*Sum of maintainers (10%), core contributors (5%), and committers (2%).
Thatโs just 1 out of 6 people, and this is from a motivated audience!
๐งต Of course, these numbers donโt capture everyone who helps open source thrive.
People contribute by writing docs, triaging issues, translating content, answering questions, giving feedback โ and it all matters.
Without these roles, maintainers would burn out even faster ๐.
๐ฌ JetBrains Survey Confirms It
In JetBrainsโ Dev Ecosystem 2023 (20,000+ devs):
โ Regular + full-time contributors = just 5โ6%
๐ฏ Core of active OSS devs = ~15% at best
๐งฎ Letโs Do the Math
If we take the optimistic 17% of 28.7M developers:
๐ง โ 4.9 million active contributors
But more realistically (5โ11%):
๐งโ๐ป โ 1.4โ3.1 million โ the entire OSS backbone
Let that sink in โ thatโs fewer people than in some cities.
๐บ๐ธ What About the US?
According to GitHub Octoverse 2024:
๐ India, China, and Brazil are growing rapidly.
๐ฎ๐ณ India is set to become the #1 contributor country by 2028.
๐บ๐ธ The US still leads, but its share is gradually declining.
๐ง Open Source Is Built By a Minority
Even in ideal conditions:
โ ๏ธ ~80% of developers donโt contribute consistently.
But instead of panic, this should be a call to action ๐งญ
๐งฉ Ways to Contribute Beyond Code
๐ Docs
๐ Bug reports
๐ Translations
๐ฌ Discussions
๐งโ๐ซ Tutorials
๐ง Feedback
๐ Testing
๐ค Community support
๐ก Why Donโt More Devs Contribute?
Here are the most common blockers:
โข ๐ฐ Fear of judgment (โWhat if my PR gets mocked?โ)
โข ๐คท Low confidence (โIโm not experienced enoughโฆโ)
โข โ No idea where to start
โข ๐ Language barrier
โข โณ No time (work, burnout, lifeโฆ)
These arenโt character flaws. These are fixable with guidance and community.
๐ ๏ธ The Cost of Not Fixing It
Open source is the invisible infrastructure of the tech world.
But without new contributors:
โข ๐ Projects stagnate
โข ๐ฅ Maintainers burn out
โข ๐ Critical tech loses support
Weโre not talking about missing features, weโre risking missing futures.
๐งฌ Lost Potential = Lost Innovation
There are millions of devs who want to contributeโฆ
โฆbut donโt know how, or are afraid to try ๐
That means millions of ideas that stay locked.
Thatโs not sustainable.
๐งญ So, How Do We Fix This?
Weโre not asking everyone to become maintainers overnight.
But we can make the first step easier โ together.
The door to open source shouldnโt feel locked.
๐ค 1. Make Projects Feel Welcoming
People donโt contribute to repos โ they contribute to communities.
A good README isnโt just technical โ it says:
โYou belong here.โ
โข Start with why this project matters
โข Add a clear โHow to Contributeโ section
โข Include a real Code of Conduct (humans first!)
๐ MUIโs README is a great example โ technical and human.
๐ง People wonโt contribute if they donโt feel invited.
๐ 2. Docs = Love
Documentation is the first handshake.
Done right, it says: โWe care about your time.โ
Include:
โข ๐ Setup steps that actually work
โข ๐งช Clear testing instructions
โข ๐ง A โWhat to do if youโre stuckโ section
Every unclear instruction is a contributor lost.
๐ฃ 3. โGood First Issuesโ Arenโt a Meme
Tagging tasks with โgood first issueโ isnโt charity โ itโs strategy.
They should be:
โข ๐งฉ Small and self-contained
โข ๐งญ Explained with real context
โข ๐ Even small things (rename, doc fix) matter
Want to try?
Here are real ones you can do today in vite-plugin-create:
โข Add plugin usage example to vite.config.ts โ help devs get started faster.
๐ PR welcome
โข Unify default config naming โ tiny change, real impact.
๐ PR welcome
๐ Where to Find Beginner-Friendly Projects?
Even if youโre not ready to contribute here โ thereโs a world of welcoming projects waiting for you:
โข goodfirstissue.dev ๐ข
โข up-for-grabs.net ๐งฉ
โข firstcontributions.github.io ๐
โข codetriage.com ๐งโโ๏ธ
Each one helps you discover real issues โ not just toy examples โ and shows you exactly how to jump in.
No pressure. No gatekeeping.
Just real ways to help. ๐ช
๐ฌ 4. Feedback That Teaches, Not Scares
The way you reject a PR defines your project more than how you merge it.
Bad:
โ๏ธ โThis is wrong.โ
Better:
โ๏ธ โThanks for this! Letโs tweak it like this โ hereโs whyโฆโ
Every comment is a moment to mentor. Donโt waste it.
๐ฑ The Secret? Itโs Not About Code
Itโs about people helping people.
Want your project to grow?
Help someone grow through your project.
๐ Real Projects Doing It Right:
๐ข Vue.js
โข โจ Clean documentation
โข ๐ง Beginner sections
โข ๐ซ Supportive Discord & community
๐จ p5.js
โข ๐งโ๐ Creative coding for learners
โข ๐ Focus on diversity
โข ๐ฆ Tons of beginner-friendly examples
๐ OpenRefine
โข ๐ Clear contribution docs
โข ๐ค Active on forums
โข ๐ฌ Friendly PR feedback
๐ฑ My First OSS Step
My journey began with helping a friend build a driving test app for foreigners in Thailand ๐น๐ญ
He didnโt have time to finish โ I jumped in.
Later, we mentored a beginner dev together. It felt like real impact.
Then I tried making a Vite plugin I needed โ and published it.
And people actually used it ๐ฅ
My first stars. My first issue.
It felt amazing.
That led to more projects. More contributors.
And eventually โ my first PRs to React, Vite, and others.
Now I mentor devs and help them start their journey.
๐ Tip: Take This Course
๐ Open Source Software Development on Coursera
โข Clear, practical lessons
โข OSS etiquette & licensing
โข Real-world Git workflows
If youโre scared to start โ this will help.
๐ค And what about you?
Iโd love to hear from you โ the readers.
๐ณ๏ธ Have you ever contributed to open source?
Leave a comment with the emoji that matches you:
๐ก โ Iโve contributed once or twice
๐ง โ I contribute regularly
๐ โ I help with docs, translations or community
๐ง โ I use it but havenโt contributed yet
โ โ I want to, but donโt know how
๐ Drop your emoji below!
๐ Final Words
๐ Open source is how we build the internet.
๐ค Itโs also how we grow developers, communities, and ideas.
You donโt need to be a genius. You just need to start small โ and start together.
โจ The world needs your code. But more importantly โ it needs you.
๐ Sources
โข Linux Foundation OSS Developer Report (2024)
โข JetBrains Developer Ecosystem Survey (2023)
โข Evans Data Corporation (2024): Developer Population
โข GitHub Octoverse 2024 Highlights
โข Vue.js Contribution Guide
โข p5.js Community Docs
โข OpenRefine Contribution Guide
โข goodfirstissue.dev
โข First Contributions Project
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