C# / .NET - check if List is empty

In this article, we would like to show you how to check if List is empty in C#. 

Quick solution:

List<int> list = new List<int>();

bool isEmpty = !list.Any();

Console.WriteLine(isEmpty); // Output: True

or:

List<int> list = new List<int>();

bool isEmpty = list.Count() == 0;

Console.WriteLine(isEmpty); // Output: True

1. Practical example

In this example, we check if list is empty using Any() method from System.Linq.

using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        List<int> list1 = new List<int>();
        List<int> list2 = new List<int> { 1, 2, 3 };

        Console.WriteLine(isEmpty(list1)); // Output: True
        Console.WriteLine(isEmpty(list2)); // Output: False
    }

    private static bool isEmpty(List<int> list)
    {
        return !list.Any();
    }
}

Output:

True
False

2. Using Count property

In this example, we check if list is empty using List.Count property.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        List<int> list1 = new List<int>();
        List<int> list2 = new List<int> { 1, 2, 3 };

        Console.WriteLine(isEmpty(list1)); // Output: True
        Console.WriteLine(isEmpty(list2)); // Output: False
    }

    private static bool isEmpty(List<int> list)
    {
        return list.Count == 0;
    }
}

Output:

True
False

References

1. Enumerable.Any Method (System.Linq) | Microsoft Docs
2. List<T>.Count Property (System.Collections.Generic) | Microsoft Docs