Count the total number of elements in the List in C#?

To count the total number of elements in a List<T> in C#, you use the Count property. This property returns an integer value representing the current number of elements stored in the list.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for using the Count property −

List<T> list = new List<T>();
int count = list.Count;

Return Value

The Count property returns an int value representing the number of elements currently in the list. It returns 0 for an empty list.

Using Count Property with List Operations

Example

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main(String[] args) {
      List<String> list = new List<String>();
      list.Add("One");
      list.Add("Two");
      list.Add("Three");
      list.Add("Four");
      list.Add("Five");
      Console.WriteLine("Elements in List...");
      foreach (string res in list) {
         Console.WriteLine(res);
      }
      Console.WriteLine("\nCount of elements in list = " + list.Count);
      list.Clear();
      Console.WriteLine("\nCount of elements in list (updated) = " + list.Count);
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Elements in List...
One
Two
Three
Four
Five

Count of elements in list = 5

Count of elements in list (updated) = 0

Dynamic Count Updates

The Count property automatically updates as elements are added or removed from the list −

Example

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main(String[] args) {
      List<String> list = new List<String>();
      list.Add("100");
      list.Add("200");
      list.Add("300");
      list.Add("400");
      list.Add("500");
      Console.WriteLine("Count of elements in the list = " + list.Count);
      Console.WriteLine("Enumerator iterates through the list elements...");
      List<string>.Enumerator demoEnum = list.GetEnumerator();
      while (demoEnum.MoveNext()) {
         string res = demoEnum.Current;
         Console.WriteLine(res);
      }
      list.Add("600");
      list.Add("700");
      Console.WriteLine("Count of elements in the list (updated) = " + list.Count);
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Count of elements in the list = 5
Enumerator iterates through the list elements...
100
200
300
400
500
Count of elements in the list (updated) = 7

Practical Use Cases

Example

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main(String[] args) {
      List<int> numbers = new List<int>() { 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 };
      
      Console.WriteLine("Initial count: " + numbers.Count);
      
      // Check if list is empty
      if (numbers.Count == 0) {
         Console.WriteLine("List is empty");
      } else {
         Console.WriteLine("List has " + numbers.Count + " elements");
      }
      
      // Remove elements and check count
      numbers.RemoveAt(0);
      numbers.Remove(30);
      Console.WriteLine("After removals: " + numbers.Count + " elements remain");
      
      // Display remaining elements
      Console.Write("Remaining elements: ");
      for (int i = 0; i < numbers.Count; i++) {
         Console.Write(numbers[i] + " ");
      }
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Initial count: 5
List has 5 elements
After removals: 3 elements remain
Remaining elements: 20 40 50 

Conclusion

The Count property provides a simple and efficient way to determine the number of elements in a List<T>. It automatically updates as elements are added or removed, making it useful for validation, loop conditions, and list management operations.