Python List count Method

In Python, the count method for lists serves the purpose of determining how many times a specific element is found within the list. If the specified element does not exist in the list, the method will yield a result of 0.

Syntax of the count Method in Python List

Here is the syntax for the count method associated with lists:

Syntax:

Example


count(x)

Parameters

✅ x: the specific element that needs to be counted.

Return

✅ It provides the count of occurrences of x within the list.

Examples of Python List count Method

Let us examine a few instances of the count method to gain a clearer understanding of how it operates.

Example 1: Finding the Occurrence of an Element in a List

In this illustration, we will explore how to utilize the count function to determine the total number of times a specific element appears within the provided list.

Example


# given list

fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'banana', 'mango', 'orange', 'banana', 'melon']

print("Given List:", fruits)

# using count() method

total_occurrence = fruits.count('banana')

# printing results

print("Count of 'banana' =", total_occurrence)

Output:

Output


Given List: ['apple', 'banana', 'banana', 'mango', 'orange', 'banana', 'melon']

Count of 'banana' = 3

Explanation:

In this illustration, we have a collection that includes various items. We utilized the count function to determine how many times a particular item appears within the collection. Given that the item 'banana' appears a total of 3 times in the collection, the count function yielded a result of 3.

Example 2: Counting an Element Not Present in the List

In the event that the specified value is absent from the list, the count function will yield a result of 0.

Here is an example:

Example


# given list

fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'banana', 'mango', 'orange', 'banana', 'melon']

print("Given List:", fruits)

# using count() method

total_occurrence = fruits.count('kiwi')

# printing results

print("Count of 'kiwi' =", total_occurrence)

Output:

Output


Given List: ['apple', 'banana', 'banana', 'mango', 'orange', 'banana', 'melon']

Count of 'kiwi' = 0

Explanation:

In this scenario, we have a collection that includes various items. We employed the count function to determine how many times a particular item appears within the collection. Given that the item 'kiwi' is absent from the collection, the count function yielded a result of 0.

Example 3: Checking If an Element in the List is Duplicate

The count function serves to verify the existence of duplicate items within a list. Below is an illustrative example:

Example


# given list

fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'banana', 'mango', 'orange', 'banana', 'melon']

print("Given List:", fruits)

# using count() method

total_occurrence = fruits.count('banana')

# checking if the element is duplicate or not

if total_occurrence >= 2:

  print("The value 'banana' is duplicate.")

  print("Count of 'banana' =", total_occurrence)

else:

  print("The value 'banana' is not duplicate.")

Output:

Output


Given List: ['apple', 'banana', 'banana', 'mango', 'orange', 'banana', 'melon']

The value 'banana' is duplicate.

Count of 'banana' = 3

Explanation:

In this scenario, we are presented with a collection of elements organized in a list. We utilized the count function to determine how many times a particular element appears within that list. Subsequently, we verified whether the resulting count is greater than or equal to 2 to identify any duplicate elements.

Given that the item 'banana' appears in the list three times, the output generated will be "The value 'banana' is duplicate."

Conclusion

The count method for lists in Python serves as a valuable resource that developers often utilize to determine how many times a specific element exists within a list. This functionality is particularly beneficial for identifying duplicate entries and verifying the integrity of the list data. It is important to note that the count method is case-sensitive, meaning it will return 0 if the specified value is absent. Developers rely on this method to locate exact matches and effectively handle list data.