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How to Check If It Has a Certain Number of Keys in Python Dictionary

To validate data structures in Python, you often need to confirm if a dictionary contains a specific number of items. This is crucial for checking if an API response is complete, if a configuration file has all required sections, or if a dataset is empty.

This guide explains how to use the built-in len() function to count keys and perform conditional checks.

Using the len() Function​

The most efficient way to get the number of keys in a dictionary is using the built-in len() function. It operates in O(1) (constant) time, meaning it is instant regardless of the dictionary size.

user_profile = {
    "username": "jdoe",
    "email": "jdoe@example.com",
    "active": True
}

# ✅ Get the number of keys
key_count = len(user_profile)

print(f"Number of keys: {key_count}")

Output:

Number of keys: 3
note

You do not need to call .keys() inside len(). Using len(my_dict) is equivalent to len(my_dict.keys()) but slightly cleaner and more Pythonic.

Checking for an Empty Dictionary​

A common use case is checking if a dictionary has zero keys. While you can check len(d) == 0, Python allows you to check the dictionary directly in a boolean context.

data = {}

# ✅ Pythonic Check: Empty dictionaries evaluate to False
if not data:
    print("Dictionary is empty.")
else:
    print(f"Dictionary has {len(data)} items.")

# ⛔️ Verbose Check (Valid, but less common)
if len(data) == 0:
    print("Dictionary is strictly empty.")

Output:

Dictionary is empty.
Dictionary is strictly empty.

Comparing Against a Target Count​

If your logic depends on a specific number of entries (e.g., ensuring a coordinate point has exactly 2 values for X and Y), compare the result of len() directly.

coordinates = {"x": 10, "y": 20}
required_keys = 2

# ✅ Conditional Logic
if len(coordinates) == required_keys:
    print("Valid coordinate point.")
elif len(coordinates) > required_keys:
    print("Too many dimensions!")
else:
    print("Incomplete data.")

Output:

Valid coordinate point.

Conclusion​

To check the number of keys in a Python dictionary:

  1. Use len(my_dict) to get the integer count of keys.
  2. Use if not my_dict: to check if it is empty.
  3. Compare len(my_dict) == N to validate exact sizes.

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