Python - Multidimensional Lists

By IncludeHelp Last updated : February 17, 2024

A multidimensional list refers to a Python list having more than one dimension. Python allows the creation of multidimensional lists by using lists inside a list.

An example of a multidimensional list is:

[[10, 20, 30, 40, 50], [3, 6, 9, 12, 15], [4, 8, 12, 16, 20]]

Creating multidimensional list

To create a multidimensional list, you can write lists inside a list separated by commas.

Example

The below example creates a multidimensional list:

# Creating multidimensional list
list1 = [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999]]

# Printing
print("Multidimensional List:\n", list1)

The output of the above example is:

Multidimensional List:
 [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999]]

Creating multidimensional list with all zeros

To create a multidimensional list with all zeros, you can simply assign zero (0) as all elements using the for loop and the range() method.

Example

The below example creates a multidimensional list with all zeros:

# Creating multidimensional list with all zeros

row = 3  # total sublists
col = 4  # elements in a sublist

list1 = [[0 for x in range(col)] for x in range(row)]

# Printing
print("Multidimensional List:\n", list1)

The output of the above example is:

Multidimensional List:
 [[0, 0, 0, 0], [0, 0, 0, 0], [0, 0, 0, 0]]

Accessing elements of multidimensional list

You can use the nested for loop and indexing (just like C arrays) to access the elements of a multidimensional list in Python.

Example

The below example accesses the elements of a multidimensional list:

# Creating multidimensional list
list1 = [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999]]

# Printing multidimensional list
print("Multidimensional List:\n", list1)

# Accessing elements of multidimensional list
print("Elements of multidimensional list:")
for i in range(len(list1)):
    for j in range(len(list1[i])):
        print(list1[i][j], end=" ")
    print()

The output of the above example is:

Multidimensional List:
 [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999]]
Elements of multidimensional list:
111 222 333 
444 555 666 
777 888 999

Appending a list to multidimensional list

You can append a list to a multidimensional list by using the append() method. The append() method accepts a list as an argument and appends it to the current list.

Example

The below example appends a list to multidimensional list:

# Creating multidimensional list
list1 = [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999]]

# Printing multidimensional list
print("Multidimensional List Before Appending:\n", list1)

# Appending list to multidimensional list
list1.append([123, 456, 789])

# Printing multidimensional list
print("Multidimensional List After Appending:\n", list1)

The output of the above example is:

Multidimensional List Before Appending:
 [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999]]
Multidimensional List After Appending:
 [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999], [123, 456, 789]]

Extending multidimensional list

You can extend a multidimensional list using the extend() method by passing a list (or any iterable) as elements in multidimensional lists.

Example

The below example extends a multidimensional list:

# Creating multidimensional list
list1 = [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999]]

# Printing multidimensional list
print("Multidimensional List Before Extending:\n", list1)

# Extending list to multidimensional list
list1.extend([[123, 456, 789], [10, 20, 30]])

# Printing multidimensional list
print("Multidimensional List After Extending:\n", list1)

The output of the above example is:

Multidimensional List Before Extending:
 [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999]]
Multidimensional List After Extending:
 [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999], [123, 456, 789], [10, 20, 30]]

Reversing multidimensional list

You can use the reverse() method to reverse the order of the sub-lists in a multidimensional list.

Example

The below example reverses the order of the sub-lists in multidimensional list:

# Creating multidimensional list
list1 = [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999]]

# Printing multidimensional list
print("Multidimensional List Before Reversing:\n", list1)

# Reversing list to multidimensional list
list1.reverse()

# Printing multidimensional list
print("Multidimensional List After Reversing:\n", list1)

The output of the above example is:

Multidimensional List Before Reversing:
 [[111, 222, 333], [444, 555, 666], [777, 888, 999]]
Multidimensional List After Reversing:
 [[777, 888, 999], [444, 555, 666], [111, 222, 333]]

To understand the above examples, you should have the basic knowledge of the following Python topics:

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