The number of software developers in emerging markets, including China, India, Russia and Brazil, is rising faster than ever, and companies in these countries will play a more important role in the global software industry. "The number of software developers and engineers in emerging markets is now starting to <A HREF="http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=27811">exceed the number in the U.S.</A> and Western Europe," said Buell Duncan, IBM's general manager of independent software vendor and developer relations, in a telephone interview. He estimated that there are a total of 15 million software developers worldwide.