Drop First & Last N Columns from pandas DataFrame in Python (2 Examples)

In this article, I’ll illustrate how to remove the first and last N variables from a pandas DataFrame in Python.

Table of contents:

1) Exemplifying Data & Libraries

2) Example 1: Delete First N Columns from pandas DataFrame

3) Example 2: Delete Last N Columns from pandas DataFrame

4) Video & Further Resources

5) Subscribe to the Statistics Globe Newsletter

6) Thank you!

Let’s dive into it:

Exemplifying Data & Libraries

In order to use the functions of the pandas library, we first have to load pandas:

import pandas as pd                       # Load pandas library

Furthermore, have a look at the following example pandas DataFrame:

data = pd.DataFrame({'x1':range(1, 7),    # Create pandas DataFrame
                     'x2':range(0, 6),
                     'x3':['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f'],
                     'x4':range(7, 1, - 1),
                     'x5':['x', 'x', 'y', 'y', 'x', 'x']})
print(data)                               # Print pandas DataFrame

table 1 DataFrame drop first last n columns from pandas dataframe python

As you can see based on Table 1, our example data is a DataFrame containing six rows and five columns.

Example 1: Delete First N Columns from pandas DataFrame

This example demonstrates how to drop the first N columns from a pandas DataFrame in Python.

For this task, we can use the iloc attribute as shown below:

data_drop_first = data.iloc[:, 2:]        # Remove first columns
print(data_drop_first)                    # Print last columns

table 2 DataFrame drop first last n columns from pandas dataframe python

As shown in Table 2, we have created a pandas DataFrame subset where the first two variables x1 and x2 have been excluded.

Example 2: Delete Last N Columns from pandas DataFrame

The following Python syntax illustrates how to remove the last N columns from a pandas DataFrame in Python.

To achieve this, we can use the iloc attribute once again. Consider the Python syntax below:

data_drop_last = data.iloc[:, :3]         # Remove last columns
print(data_drop_last)                     # Print first columns

table 3 DataFrame drop first last n columns from pandas dataframe python

As shown in Table 3, the previous Python syntax has created another pandas data set. In this case, the last two variables have been deleted.

Video & Further Resources

If you need further explanations on the Python syntax of this article, I recommend watching the following video on my YouTube channel. I’m explaining the Python programming syntax of this article in the video:

In addition, you may want to have a look at the related tutorials on Statistics Globe. Some tutorials that are related to the removal of the first and last N variables from a pandas DataFrame are shown below.

You have learned in this tutorial how to delete the first and last N columns from a pandas DataFrame in the Python programming language. Don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments below, if you have further questions.