Check if a list is empty or not in Python

Last Updated : 24 Oct, 2024

In article we will explore the different ways to check if a list is empty with simple examples. The simplest way to check if a list is empty is by using Python's not operator.

Using not operator

The not operator is the simplest way to see if a list is empty. It returns True if the list is empty and False if it has any items.

Python

a = [] if not a: print("The list is empty") else: print("The list is not empty")

Output

The list is empty

Explanation:

not a returns True because the list is empty.
If there were items in the list, not a would be False.

Table of Content

Using len()

We can also use len() function to see if a list is empty by checking if its length is zero.

Python

a = [] if len(a) == 0: print("The list is empty") else: print("The list is not empty")

Output

The list is empty

Explanation: len(a) returns 0 for an empty list.

Using Boolean Evaluation Directly

Lists can be directly evaluated in conditions. Python considers an empty list as False.

Python

a = [] if a: print("The list is not empty") else: print("The list is empty")

Output

The list is empty

Explanation: An empty list evaluates as False in the if condition, so it prints "The list is empty".

Check if a list is empty or not in Python

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