PHP count() Function

The count() function in PHP is used to count all elements in an array or something in an object. It returns the number of elements in the array.

Syntax:

 
count(array, mode) 

• array – Required. The array or object to count.
• mode – Optional. Can be set to:
  • COUNT_NORMAL (default) – Does not count elements in multidimensional arrays.
  • COUNT_RECURSIVE (or 1) – Counts all elements in the array recursively (useful for multidimensional arrays).

Examples

Example 1: Basic array count

 
$fruits = ["apple", "banana", "orange"]; 
echo count($fruits);  // Output: 3 

Example 2: Associative array

 
$user = [ 
    "name" => "John", 
    "email" => "john@example.com", 
    "age" => 30 
]; 
echo count($user);  // Output: 3 

Example 3: Multidimensional array with normal count

 
$products = [ 
    ["name" => "Laptop", "price" => 500], 
    ["name" => "Phone", "price" => 300] 
]; 
echo count($products);  // Output: 2 

Example 4: Multidimensional array with recursive count

 
$products = [ 
    ["name" => "Laptop", "price" => 500], 
    ["name" => "Phone", "price" => 300] 
]; 
echo count($products, COUNT_RECURSIVE);  // Output: 6 

Explanation: There are 2 main elements, each with 2 sub-elements → 2 (outer) + 2*2 (inner) = 6.

Example 5: Count on empty array

 
$empty = []; 
echo count($empty);  // Output: 0 

Example 6: Count on a non-array

 
$str = "Hello"; 
echo count($str);  // Output: 1 (Not recommended) 

count() can return 1 even for non-arrays. Safer to check is_array() before using count().

Tips:

• Always ensure the variable is an array before using count():

 
if (is_array($myVar)) { 
    echo count($myVar); 
}