How to Remove the Last Element from a List in Python

To remove the last element from a list in Python, call my_list.pop(). It deletes the final item and hands it back to you. If you don’t need the value, del my_list[-1] does the same job:

last = cart.pop()     # removes and returns the last item
del cart[-1]          # removes it, returns nothing

The outputs below came straight from Python 3.12.5, using a shopping cart and an undo history as examples.

We’ll go through pop(), del and slicing, removing the last few items, empty lists, and which approach is fastest.

Remove the last element with pop()

pop() with no argument works from the end, which makes a list a natural stack. Here it undoes the most recent actions:

history = ["typed 'Austin'", "added $19.99 item", "applied coupon"]

last = history.pop()                    # removes AND returns the last item
print("undo:", last)
print("left:", history)

print("undo:", history.pop(), "| left:", history)

Output:

undo: applied coupon
left: ["typed 'Austin'", 'added $19.99 item']
undo: added $19.99 item | left: ["typed 'Austin'"]

Pass an index, like pop(0), to remove from somewhere else; see removing an element from a list by index.

Remove the last element with del or slicing

del changes the list in place. A slice like cart[:-1] builds a new list and leaves the original alone, which matters when other variables point to it:

cart = ["Coffee beans", "Mug", "Filters", "Gift card"]
saved = cart                            # a second name for the same list

del cart[-1]                            # in place, returns nothing
print("del cart[-1]:", cart)

shorter = cart[:-1]                     # a NEW list; cart is unchanged
print("cart[:-1]:", shorter, "| cart:", cart)

del cart[-2:]                           # remove the last 2 items
print("del cart[-2:]:", cart, "| saved sees it:", saved)

Output:

del cart[-1]: ['Coffee beans', 'Mug', 'Filters']
cart[:-1]: ['Coffee beans', 'Mug'] | cart: ['Coffee beans', 'Mug', 'Filters']
del cart[-2:]: ['Coffee beans'] | saved sees it: ['Coffee beans']

del cart[-n:] is the tidy way to drop the last n items. For removing several items by value or position, see removing multiple elements from a list.

What happens if the list is empty?

pop() and del both raise IndexError on an empty list. Slicing doesn’t. Guard the call when the list might be empty:

orders = []

try:
    orders.pop()
except IndexError as err:
    print("pop():", err)

try:
    del orders[-1]
except IndexError as err:
    print("del:", err)

print("slice:", orders[:-1])            # slicing never raises
last = orders.pop() if orders else None
print("guarded pop:", last)

Output:

pop(): pop from empty list
del: list assignment index out of range
slice: []
guarded pop: None

An empty list counts as False, so if orders: is all you need. More on empty lists in creating an empty list in Python.

Which is fastest: pop(), del or slicing?

pop() and del only touch the last slot, while slicing copies the whole list every time. On a 200,000-item list that difference is huge:

import timeit

setup = "data = list(range(200_000))"
tests = {
    "pop()": "data.pop(); data.append(0)",
    "del data[-1]": "del data[-1]; data.append(0)",
    "data = data[:-1]": "data = data[:-1]; data.append(0)",
}
for name, stmt in tests.items():
    t = min(timeit.repeat(stmt, setup=setup, number=1_000, repeat=3))
    print(f"{name:<18} {t * 1000:>8.2f} ms for 1,000 removals")

Output:

pop()                  0.02 ms for 1,000 removals
del data[-1]           0.03 ms for 1,000 removals
data = data[:-1]    1202.24 ms for 1,000 removals

So use slicing only when you really want a separate copy. To empty the list completely, see clearing a list in Python.

Ways to remove the last element compared

I use pop() almost every time, because the removed value is often exactly what I need next. Arrays from the array module and NumPy work a little differently; see removing elements from an array in Python.

Method	Changes the list	Returns	Empty list
lst.pop()	Yes	The removed item	IndexError
del lst[-1]	Yes	Nothing	IndexError
lst[:-1]	No (new list)	The shorter list	Returns []
del lst[-n:]	Yes	Nothing	No error

You may also find these list guides useful:

• Add an element to the beginning of a list
• Remove all instances of an element from a list
• Randomly select from a list in Python
• Find duplicates in a Python list

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