How to Check if Pandas DataFrame is Empty?

There are many use cases where you have to check whether the Panda DataFrame is filled with data or empty. Empty DataFrame has no rows.

Example: Check if Pandas DataFrame is Empty

To check if the pandas DataFrame is empty or not, use the DataFrame attribute empty. Here is an example.

import pandas as pd

#create empty DataFrame
df = pd.DataFrame()

#check if the DataFrame is empty
if df.empty:
  print("DataFrame is empty.")
else:
  print("DataFrame is not empty.")

Output:

DataFrame is empty.

Use of Empty Attribute in Python

One such use case is writing unit test cases.

Suppose you have an API that returns a response DataFrame. You can write a test case to check whether you are getting a DataFrame filled with data or an empty DataFrame. For this use Python assert statement.

assert df.empty 

It raises an assertion when the Dataframe is Empty.

More programmatically you can use the following syntax.

self.assertTrue(df.empty, "Dataframe is empty.")

Using an empty attribute to detect if the Pandas DataFrame is empty or not is the most effective technique.

Aniruddha Chaudhari

I am a Python enthusiast who loves Linux and Vim. I hold a Master of Computer Science degree from NIT Trichy and have 10 years of experience in the IT industry, focusing on the Software Development Lifecycle from Requirements Gathering, Design, Development to Deployment. I have worked at IBM, Ericsson, and NetApp, and I share my knowledge on CSEstack.org.