by The tutorial explains how to use COUNTIFS and COUNTIF formulas with multiple criteria in Excel based on AND as well as OR logic. You will find a number of examples for different data types - numbers, dates, text, wildcard characters, non-blank cells and more.
Of all Excel functions, COUNTIFS and COUNTIF are probably most often mixed up because they look very much alike and both are purposed for counting cells based on the specified criteria.
The difference is that COUNTIF is designed for counting cells with a single condition in one range, whereas COUNTIFS can evaluate different criteria in the same or in different ranges. The aim of this tutorial is to demonstrate different approaches and help you choose the most efficient formula for each particular task.
Excel COUNTIFS function - syntax and usage
The Excel COUNTIFS function counts cells across multiple ranges based on one or several conditions. The function is available in Excel 365, 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, Excel 2010, and Excel 2007, so you can use the below examples in any Excel version.
COUNTIFS syntax
The syntax of the COUNTIFS function is as follows:
- criteria_range1 (required) - defines the first range to which the first condition (criteria1) shall be applied.
- criteria1 (required) - sets the condition in the form of a number, cell reference, text string, expression or another Excel function. The criteria defines which cells shall be counted and can be expressed as 10, "<=32", A6, "sweets".
- [criteria_range2, criteria2]… (optional) - these are additional ranges and their associated criteria. You can specify up to 127 range/criteria pairs in your formulas.
In fact, you don't have to remember the syntax of the COUNTIF function by heart. Microsoft Excel will display the function's arguments as soon as you start typing; the argument you are entering at the moment is highlighted in bold.
Excel COUNTIFS - things to remember!
- You can use the COUNTIFS function in Excel to count cells in a single range with a single condition as well as in multiple ranges with multiple conditions. If the latter, only those cells that meet all of the specified conditions are counted.
- Each additional range must have the same number of rows and columns as the first range (criteria_range1 argument).
- Both contiguous and non-contiguous ranges are allowed.
- If the criteria is a reference to an empty cell, the COUNTIFS function treats it as a zero value (0).
- You can use the wildcard characters in criteria - asterisk (*) and question mark (?). See this example for full details.
How to use COUNTIFS and COUNTIF with multiple criteria in Excel
Below you will find a number of formula examples that demonstrate how to use the COUNTIFS and COUNTIF functions in Excel to evaluate multiple conditions.
How to count cells with multiple criteria (AND logic)
This scenario is the easiest one, since the COUNTIFS function in Excel is designed to count only those cells for which all of the specified conditions are TRUE. We call it the AND logic, because Excel's AND function works this way.
Formula 1. COUNTIFS formula with multiple criteria
Suppose you have a product list like shown in the screenshot below. You want to get a count of items that are in stock (value in column B is greater than 0) but have not been sold yet (value is column C is equal to 0).
The task can be accomplished by using this formula:
=COUNTIFS(B2:B7,">0", C2:C7,"=0")
And the count is 2 ("Cherries" and "Lemons"):
Formula 2. COUNTIFS formula with two criteria
When you want to count items with identical criteria, you still need to supply each criteria_range / criteria pair individually.
For example, here's the right formula to count items that have 0 both in column B and column C:
=COUNTIFS($B$2:$B$7,"=0", $C$2:$C$7,"=0")
This COUNTIFS formula returns 1 because only "Grapes" have "0" value in both columns.
Using a simpler formula with a single criteria_range like COUNTIFS(B2:C7,"=0") would yield a different result - the total count of cells in the range B2:C7 containing a zero (which is 4 in this example).
How to count cells with multiple criteria (OR logic)
As you have seen in the above examples, counting cells that meet all of the specified criteria is easy because the COUNTIFS function is designed to work this way.
But what if you want to count cells for which at least one of the specified conditions is TRUE, i.e. based on the OR logic? Overall, there are two ways to do this - by adding up several COUNTIF formulas or using a SUM COUNTIFS formula with an array constant.
Formula 1. Add up two or more COUNTIF or COUNITFS formulas
In the table below, supposing you want to count orders with the "Cancelled" and "Pending" status. To have it doen, you can simply write 2 regular Countif formulas and add up the results:
=COUNTIF($C$2:$C$11,"Cancelled") + COUNTIF($C$2:$C$11,"Pending")
In case each of the functions is supposed to evaluate more than one condition, use COUNTIFS instead of COUNTIF. For example, to get the count of "Cancelled" and "Pending" orders for "Apples" use this formula:
=COUNTIFS($A$2:$A$11, "Apples", $C$2:$C$11,"Cancelled") + COUNTIFS($A$2:$A$11, "Apples", $C$2:$C$11,"Pending")
Formula 2. SUM COUNTIFS with an array constant
In situations when you have to evaluate a lot of criteria, the above approach is not the best way to go because your formula would grow too big in size. To perform the same calculations in a more compact formula, list all of your criteria in an array constant, and supply that array to the criteria argument of the COUNTIFS function. To get the total count, embed COUNTIFS inside the SUM function, like this:
In our sample table, to count orders with the status "Cancelled" or "Pending" or "In transit", the formula would go as follows:
=SUM(COUNTIFS($C$2:$C$11, {"cancelled", "pending", "in transit"}))
In a similar manner, you can count cells based on two or more criteria_range / criteria pairs. For instance, to get the number of "Apples" orders that are "Cancelled" or "Pending" or "In transit", use this formula:
=SUM(COUNTIFS($A$2:$A$11,"apples",$C$2:$C$11,{"cancelled","pending","in transit"}))
You can find a few more ways to count cells with OR logic in this tutorial: Excel COUNTIF and COUNTIFS with OR conditions.
How to count numbers between 2 specified numbers
By and large, COUNTIFS formulas for numbers fall into 2 categories - based on several conditions (explained in the above examples) and between the two values you specify. The latter can be accomplished in two ways - by using the COUNTIFS function or by subtracting one COUNTIF from another.
Formula 1. COUNTIFS to count cells between two numbers
To find out how many numbers between 5 and 10 (not including 5 and 10) are contained in cells C2 through C10, use this formula:
=COUNTIFS(C2:C10,">5", C2:C10,"<10")
To include 5 and 10 in the count, use the "greater than or equal to" and "less than or equal to" operators:
=COUNTIFS(B2:B10,">=5", B2:B10,"<=10")
Formula 2. COUNTIF formulas to count numbers between X and Y
The same result can be achieved by subtracting one Countif formula from another. The first one counts how many numbers are greater than the lower bound value (5 in this example). The second formula returns the count of numbers that are greater than the upper bound value (10 in this case). The difference between the first and second number is the result you are looking for.
- =COUNTIF(C2:C10,">5")-COUNTIF(C2:C10,">=10") - counts how many numbers greater than 5 and less than 10 are in the range C2:C10. This formula will return the same count as shown in the screenshot above.
- =COUNTIF(C2:C10, ">=5")-COUNTIF(C2:C10, ">10") - the formula counts how many numbers between 5 and 10 are in the range C2:C10, including 5 and 10.
How to use cell references in COUNTIFS formulas
When using logical operators such as ">", "<", "<=" or ">=" together with cell references in your Excel COUNTIFS formulas, remember to enclose the operator in "double quotes" and
add an ampersand (&) before a cell reference to construct a text string.
In a sample dataset below, let's count "Apples" orders with amount greater than $200. With criteria_range1 in cells A2:A11 and criteria_range2 in B2:B11, you can use this formula:
=COUNTIFS($A$2:$A$11, "Apples", $B$2:$B$11, ">200")
Or, you can input your criteria values in certain cells, say F1 and F2, and reference those cells in your formula:
=COUNTIFS($A$2:$A$11, $F$1, $B$2:$B$11, ">"&$F$2)
Please notice the use of absolute cell references both in the criteria and criteria_range arguments, which prevents the formula from being broken when copied to other cells.
For more information about the use of an ampersand in COUNTIF and COUNTIFS formulas, please see Excel COUNTIF - frequently asked questions.
How to use COUNTIFS with wildcard characters
In Excel COUNTIFS formulas, you can use the following wildcard characters:
- Question mark (?) - matches any single character, use it to count cells starting and/or ending with certain characters.
- Asterisk (*) - matches any sequence of characters, you use it to count cells containing a specified word or a character(s) as part of the cell's contents.
Tip. If you want to count cells with an actual question mark or asterisk, type a tilde (~) before an asterisk or question mark.
Now let's see how you can use a wildcard char in real-life COUNTIFS formulas in Excel. Suppose, you have a list of projects in column A. You wish to know how many projects are already assigned to someone, i.e. have any name in column B. And because we are learning how to use the COUNTIFS function with multiple criteria, let's add a second condition - the End Date in column D should also be set.
Here is the formula that works a treat:
=COUNTIFS(B2:B10,"*",D2:D10,"<>"&""))
Please note, you cannot use a wildcard character in the 2nd criteria because you have dates rather that text values in column D. That is why, you use the criteria that finds non-blank cells: "<>"&""
COUNTIFS and COUNTIF with multiple criteria for dates
The COUNTIFS and COUNTIF formulas you use for dates are very much similar to the above formulas for numbers.
Example 1. Count dates in a specific date range
To count the dates that fall in a certain date range, you can also use either a COUNTIFS formula with two criteria or a combination of two COUNTIF functions.
For example, the following formulas count the number of dates in cells C2 through C10 that fall between 1-Jun-2014 and 7-Jun-2014, inclusive:
=COUNTIFS(C2:C9, ">=6/1/2014", C2:C9, "<=6/7/2014")
=COUNTIF(C2:C9, ">=6/1/2014") - COUNTIF(C2:C9, ">6/7/2014")
Example 2. Count dates with multiple conditions
In the same manner, you can use a COUNTIFS formula to count the number of dates in different columns that meet 2 or more conditions. For instance, the below formula will find out how many products were purchased after the 20th of May and delivered after the 1st of June:
=COUNTIFS(C2:C9, ">5/1/2014", D2:D9, ">6/7/2014")
Example 3. Count dates with multiple conditions based on the current date
You can use Excel's TODAY() function in combination with COUNTIF to count dates based on the current date.
For example, the following COUNTIF formula with two ranges and two criteria will tell you how many products have already been purchased but not delivered yet.
=COUNTIFS(C2:C9, "<"&TODAY(), D2:D9, ">"&TODAY())
This formula allows for many possible variations. For instance, you can tweak it to count how many products were purchased more than a week ago and are not delivered yet:
=COUNTIFS(C2:C9, "<="&TODAY()-7, D2:D9, ">"&TODAY())
This is how you count cells with multiple criteria in Excel. I hope you will find these examples helpful. Anyway, I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week!
2039 comments
Hi there - hoping you can help please!
I have two columns
Total Sessions Location
1 S
10 B
5 S
6 B
what is a countifs formula to reference the location and return and count the sessions please?
many thanks
Hi KC,
If my understanding of your task is correct, you need a SUMIF formula rather than COUNTIF. For example, the following formula will pick all "b" locations in column B and return the total of corresponding sessions (column A):
=SUMIF(B:B,"b",A:A)
In your example, the result will be 16. If you are looking for something different, please clarify.
hi i am stuck in a prob.
i want to count the two digits numbers in a given data.
i applied =ccountif(RANGE,LEN(RANGE)>2)NOT WORKING
I am trying to use countif to return a value of less than or equal to 15 for a range of cells in column A. It keeps returning a zero result. My formula looks like this : =countif(A3010:A3190,"<=15"). Does it matter that my A column is actually a formula that is resulting in the numbers being displayed?
I have a set of customers and their ages in the Rows. In the Column section, I have a set of ranges from: <12months, <36months, <3years, 3 and <7years, 7 and <17 years, 17 and <40years. I want to add a "1" down the columns for each customer that is <12months, or less than 3 years, etc...Then I want to count how many of them are in that age group and get the total for each age range. May you help me please?
Hi There,
I have tried multiple functions and nothing works!! I have tried COUNTIF, COUNTIFS, SUMIF, SUMPRODUCT and I cannot get the result I need!
can you help.
I am trying to count the number of cells which contain a certain Text before a date.
I used this formula to calculate all cells within a month that belong to date
=SUMPRODUCT(--(MONTH(J6:K1000)=11)*(YEAR(J6:K1000)=2014))
but now I need the first criteria to be a text specifically "DT*", and the second to be before november (<11)
can you help?
I have a workbook with multiple worksheets of inventory from various departments. I'm trying to create a summary page that sums the different categories of inventory from each worksheet tab. For example, how many desks do we have in total.
My worksheets are set up like this:
Desks. 26
Chairs. 57
Cabinets. 1
But the info isn't in the same cells on each worksheet.
Is this possible? Im p.yaong with countif but can't get it to work.
Hi Dean,
An immediate solution that comes to mind is using a combination of SUMIF functions like this:
=SUMIF(Sheet2!A2:A7, "desks", Sheet2!B2:B7) + SUMIF(Sheet3!A6:A17, "desks", Sheet3!B6:B17)
Where column A contains the categories of inventory and column B - the corresponding numbers. You can specify different ranges and different columns for each sheet.
For more information about the SUMIF function with multiple criteria, please see this tutorial:
https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/excel-sumifs-multiple-criteria/
Nevermind! I found the solution elsewhere.
I have a situation where the text that I want to count instances of is in various locations within the cells, e.g. A1 cell may contain 'Dog'; A2 cell may contain 'Cat, Dog', cell A3 may contain 'Bird, Cat, Dog'. I want to count all of the instances within the column that contains the word 'Dog'. It seems that no matter how I try to finesse this using COUNTIF and COUNTIFS with FIND and SEARCH etc. I can't seem to get this to work.
Please help.
I'm trying to create a spreadsheet to keep up with employee's absences, tardies, etc. for a year. Each incident is not counted after a year. So I have a cell on top that says today's date and used =today() so that when I open the file the date will fill in. I have the dates in the first column, the second is tardies, leave early and vacation. On top under today's date, I want it to show the total Tardies, for a year (from today minus one year).
Today's Date '=today()
Tardies ??? <---- This should be a total for the year using
Leave Early ??? <---- same as above
vacation ??? <---- same as above
Date Tardies Leave Early Vacation
11/01/13 1
11/02/13 1
11/03/13 1
11/04/13 1
11/05/13 1
11/06/13 1
For Example: the ???'s above should add from today (11/2/14) to 11/2/13 and give me a total of 2 so that when I open the spreadsheet on a certain day, that information will automatically update and show me how many tardies, leave earlies and vacation days they have for that given year.
how would I write it sothat I could count a number if a condition is met EG
A2=Knife
B2=2
A3=Spoon
B3=4
A4=Fork
B4=3
A5=Knife
B6=7
and I want b1 to count where A2:A5 = Knife but use the totals in B2:B6
So it would count = 9
Hello Zak,
You need to use the SUMIF function for your task, here is the formula:
=SUMIF(A2:A5, "Knife", B2:B5)
For more information about SUMIF, please see this article:
https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/excel-sumif-function-formula-examples/
Hi all,
I Believe someone can help me here. what i want is from few different cell, i want to select certain letters or numbers. and want to to be able to link to one cell where it
collect the selected letters and numbers from different cell and show as eg. cell 4 = (12345GB).
eg. cell 1 = 0012
eg. cell 2 = 4434
eg. cell 3 = Good Buy
i hope this is clear. its just so as i am inputting data on other cells and it generates like a ref if you like on the cell 4 as i instructed.
please help?
Hi,
I want to count 1 column of data (contains £££) if another column contains a specific word.
Could you help?
Thanks
Hi RC,
I am not sure I understand your task correctly. Anyway, if you want to sum cell in column A if a corresponding cell in column B contains a given word, you can use the following SUMIF formula:
=SUMIF(B:B,"word",A:A)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
25
64
54
654
546
40
so how can find highest number in excel sheet
Hi Zaheer,
You can use the MAX function for this, e.g:
=MAX(A1:A20)
Where A1 is the first and A20 is the last cell in the range.
as example,,in the first sheet as below,,,
A B D E F
CODE FILLING STATION K.M AMOUNT ALAWNS
5347 FALAJ AL-QABAIL F/S 15 16.74 1
5294 FALAJ AL-QABAIL T 16 23.02 1
5365 FALAJ AL-QABAIL N 17 23.02 1
5727 SHINAS F/S 12 24.7 1.5
5124 SOHAR BEACH F/S 25 24.7 1.5
5530 SOHAR TREEF F/S 25 24.7 1.5
5336 AL-WUQAIBA F/S 28 29.3 1.5
5054 SOHAR SINAIYA F/S 29 29.3 2
5299 SOHAR F/S 29 29.3 1.5
5442 HUMAIRA F/S 30 29.3 1.5
5211 AQAR F/S 45 38.51 2.5
5438 AQAR TWIN FjS 47 41.86 2
in the second sheet will be like as below,,,
J k L M N
CODE FILLING STATION K.M AMOUNT Allowances
5727 ? ? ? ?
5442 ? ? ? ?
5294 ? ? ? ?
My question is ,,if i type the number which is i column "A" in the secound sheet in the column "J" how can i make a formula to get the information from
column "B" ,"C" , "D" , "E" in the secound sheet in the column "K" , "L"
"M" ,"N" , ???or whatever columns in any sheet even at the same one,,
i hope my question clear to you
Thanks in Advance
Hi
I am currently struggling with this - I need a formula that works out the oldest date in A that does not have a processed date in Q.
I have a formula that works out A =MIN(Audits!A7:A3026)but cannot figure out the COUNTIF for the second criteria, does anyone know if I am on the right track with a COUNTIF or am I just doing this wrong?
Regards
Thank you for the details shared.
I have 4 digit numbers like 1234,2345,2334, etc. i want to know when 4 comes as 4th digit which number comes mostly in 3rd digit as well as in the 1st and 2nd.
there are thousands of numbers looking forward for your reply. it would help me a lot
hello
-----A----------B------------C------------D-----------E
--CODE------LOCATION-------KM-----------COST--------EXTRA
--100-------SOHAR---------50------------25-----------2--
hi,
can you help please,,,
i have five columns with differents informations and want to get all in another sheet by using only code, example:
A B C D E
CODE LOCATION KM COST EXTRA
100 SOHAR 50 25 2
the information in the cells never change,,,can i make a formula ,when typing a code then get the other information in another 4 cells
thanks
Greetings,
Maybe I missed the answer but need help in applying a formula to only count dates that are within the last year. My data is pulled from SharePoint Lists then using another tab I am able to count how many items are done based on each section (currently have 5 different sections)
The formula I am using is:
COUNTIFS(Table1[Section],”Section”,Table1[Safety],””)
I would like it to only count the dates in Safety that are within the last year when the sheet is refreshed.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
After safety I have between the quotes in the formula.
I need to calculate following Commissions on Sales how can i put in Formula
<=20,000 = 1000 (Fixed)
20,000 to 50,000 = 4%
50000 to 100,000 = 3%
100,000 to 200,000 = 2.5%
And
200,000 and Above =2%
Please help me ...