How to Create a Pandas Dataframe From a List of Dictionaries in Python

November 16, 2024

Creating a DataFrame from a list of dictionaries is a common task in data analysis. In Python, you can easily accomplish this using the DataFrame() function from the pandas library.

The following example shows how to create a dataframe from a list of dictionaries in Python.

Using DataFrame() Function

The DataFrame() function is a powerful tool in pandas that lets you convert various data structures, including lists of dictionaries, into a structured table (DataFrame).

Each dictionary in the list corresponds to a row in the resulting DataFrame, with dictionary keys becoming the column names.

Let’s say you have a list of product details, and you want to create a DataFrame from this data. Here’s how to do it:

# Import pandas library
import pandas as pd

# Create a list of dictionaries
data = [
    {"Date": "01-03-2023", "Product_Code": "A-101", "Product_Name": "Laptop", "Price": 4500, "Status": 1},
    {"Date": "01-03-2023", "Product_Code": "A-102", "Product_Name": "Mobile", "Price": 550, "Status": 1},
    {"Date": "01-03-2023", "Product_Code": "A-103", "Product_Name": "Printer", "Price": 250, "Status": 1},
    {"Date": "01-03-2023", "Product_Code": "B-101", "Product_Name": "Keyboard", "Price": 50, "Status": 0},
    {"Date": "02-03-2023", "Product_Code": "B-102", "Product_Name": "Scanner", "Price": 350, "Status": 1},
    {"Date": "02-03-2023", "Product_Code": "B-104", "Product_Name": "Mouse", "Price": 50, "Status": 1},
]

# Create a pandas dataframe from the list of dictionaries
df = pd.DataFrame(data)

# Print the dataframe
print(df)

Output: 👇️

         Date Product_Code Product_Name  Price  Status
0  01-03-2023        A-101       Laptop   4500       1
1  01-03-2023        A-102       Mobile    550       1
2  01-03-2023        A-103      Printer    250       1
3  01-03-2023        B-101     Keyboard     50       0
4  02-03-2023        B-102      Scanner    350       1
5  02-03-2023        B-104        Mouse     50       1

In this example:

data: The list of dictionaries, where each dictionary represents a row of data.
pd.DataFrame(): This function takes the list and transforms it into a DataFrame, automatically assigning column names based on the dictionary keys.
df: The new DataFrame, which now holds the data in a structured format.

The output shows the dataframe created from the list of dictionaries.

Conclusion

Using the DataFrame() function in pandas, you can easily convert a list of dictionaries into a DataFrame.

This method is great for quickly organizing your data into a usable form for analysis, allowing you to manipulate and explore your dataset with ease.