🧵 The Shortage of Open Source Contributors: Myth or Reality?

Unfortunately — it’s reality 😔

Do you know how many developers there are in the world today?

📊 According to Evans Data Corporation, in 2024 there are over 28.7 million developers globally.

Sounds like everything should be built already, right? But let’s look at how many actually contribute to open source…

📉 Linux Foundation Report (2024)

Based on this survey of 332 developers involved in OSS:

👥 Out of 332 people:

💥 Even among this engaged group, only 17% are consistently active contributors*.

*Sum of maintainers (10%), core contributors (5%), and committers (2%).

That’s just 1 out of 6 people, and this is from a motivated audience

🧵 Of course, these numbers don’t capture everyone who helps open source thrive.

People contribute by writing docs, triaging issues, translating content, answering questions, giving feedback — and it all matters.

Without these roles, maintainers would burn out even faster 💀.

💬 JetBrains Survey Confirms It

In JetBrains’ Dev Ecosystem 2023 (20,000+ devs):

✅ Regular + full-time contributors = just 5–6%

🎯 Core of active OSS devs = ~15% at best

🧮 Let’s Do the Math

If we take the optimistic 17% of 28.7M developers:🔧 ≈ 4.9 million active contributors

But more realistically (5–11%):🧑‍💻 ≈ 1.4–3.1 million — the entire OSS backbone

Let that sink in — that’s fewer people than in some cities.

**🇺🇸 What About the US?**According to GitHub Octoverse 2024:

🌍 India, China, and Brazil are growing rapidly.🇮🇳 India is set to become the #1 contributor country by 2028.🇺🇸 The US still leads, but its share is gradually declining.

🚧 Open Source Is Built By a Minority

Even in ideal conditions:

⚠️ ~80% of developers don’t contribute consistently.

But instead of panic, this should be a call to action 🧭

🧩 Ways to Contribute Beyond Code

💡 Why Don’t More Devs Contribute?

Here are the most common blockers:

These aren’t character flaws. These are fixable with guidance and community.

🛠️ The Cost of Not Fixing It

Open source is the invisible infrastructure of the tech world.

But without new contributors:

We’re not talking about missing features, we’re risking missing futures.

🧬 Lost Potential = Lost Innovation

There are millions of devs who want to contribute…

…but don’t know how, or are afraid to try 😞

That means millions of ideas that stay locked.That’s not sustainable.

🧭 So, How Do We Fix This?

We’re not asking everyone to become maintainers overnight.

But we can make the first step easier — together.The door to open source shouldn’t feel locked.

🤗 1. Make Projects Feel Welcoming

People don’t contribute to repos — they contribute to communities.

A good README isn’t just technical — it says:“You belong here.”• Start with why this project matters• Add a clear “How to Contribute” section• Include a real Code of Conduct (humans first!)

📌 MUI’s README is a great example — technical and human.

🧠 People won’t contribute if they don’t feel invited.

📖 2. Docs = LoveDocumentation is the first handshake.Done right, it says: “We care about your time.”

Include:

Every unclear instruction is a contributor lost.

🐣 3. “Good First Issues” Aren’t a MemeTagging tasks with “good first issue” isn’t charity — it’s strategy.

They should be:

Want to try?

Here are real ones you can do today in vite-plugin-create:

🚀 Where to Find Beginner-Friendly Projects?

Even if you’re not ready to contribute here — there’s a world of welcoming projects waiting for you:

Each one helps you discover real issues — not just toy examples — and shows you exactly how to jump in.

No pressure. No gatekeeping.Just real ways to help. 💪

💬 4. Feedback That Teaches, Not Scares

The way you reject a PR defines your project more than how you merge it.

Bad:✖️ “This is wrong.”

Better:✔️ “Thanks for this! Let’s tweak it like this — here’s why…”

Every comment is a moment to mentor. Don’t waste it.

🌱 The Secret? It’s Not About Code

It’s about people helping people. Want your project to grow?

Help someone grow through your project.

💎 Real Projects Doing It Right:

🟢 Vue.js

🎨 p5.js

📊 OpenRefine

🌱 My First OSS Step

My journey began with helping a friend build a driving test app for foreigners in Thailand 🇹🇭He didn’t have time to finish — I jumped in.

Later, we mentored a beginner dev together. It felt like real impact.

Then I tried making a Vite plugin I needed — and published it.

And people actually used it

💥My first stars. My first issue.It felt amazing.

That led to more projects. More contributors.And eventually — my first PRs to React, Vite, and others.

Now I mentor devs and help them start their journey.

🎓 Tip: Take This Course📚 Open Source Software Development on Coursera

• Clear, practical lessons

• OSS etiquette & licensing

• Real-world Git workflows

If you’re scared to start — this will help.

🤔 And what about you?

I’d love to hear from you — the readers.

🗳️ Have you ever contributed to open source?

Leave a comment with the emoji that matches you:

💡 — I’ve contributed once or twice

🔧 — I contribute regularly

📚 — I help with docs, translations or community

🧍 — I use it but haven’t contributed yet

❓ — I want to, but don’t know how

👇 Drop your emoji below!

🏁 Final Words

🌍 Open source is how we build the internet.🤝 It’s also how we grow developers, communities, and ideas.

You don’t need to be a genius. You just need to start small — and start together.

✨ The world needs your code. But more importantly — it needs you.