Python Dictionary popitem() method

popitem() method in Python is used to remove and return the last key-value pair from the dictionary. It is often used when we want to remove a random element, particularly when the dictionary is not ordered.

Example:

d = {1: '001', 2: '010', 3: '011'}

# Using popitem() to remove and return the last item
res = d.popitem()
print(res)
print(d)

(3, '011')
{1: '001', 2: '010'}

Explanation: In this example, the last key-value pair 3: '011' is removed from the dictionary and the updated dictionary is printed.

popitem() syntax

dict.popitem()

Here, dict is the dictionary from which the key-value pair is to be removed.

Parameter:

• None: The popitem() method does not take any parameters.

Returns:

• This method returns a tuple containing the last key-value pair removed from the dictionary.
• If the dictionary is empty, it raises a KeyError.

popitem() examples

Example 1: popitem() on an Empty Dictionary

d = {}

# Trying to use popitem() on an empty dictionary
try:
    d.popitem()
except KeyError as e:
    print(e)

'popitem(): dictionary is empty'

Explanation: When popitem() is called on an empty dictionary, it raises a KeyError indicating that the dictionary is empty.

Example 2: Removing Items One by One

d = {1: '001', 2: '010', 3: '011'}

# removing items one by one using popitem()
print(d.popitem())
print(d.popitem())
print(d.popitem())

(3, '011')
(2, '010')
(1, '001')

Explanation: Here, we remove and print each item from the dictionary until it becomes empty. The items are removed in reverse insertion order.