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How to count duplicate values in a column in Excel?

Author: Sun Last Modified: 2025-04-16

In the realm of data analysis and management, identifying and counting duplicate values in a dataset is a crucial task. Excel provides several methods to count duplicate values in a column efficiently. This article explores various techniques to accomplish this, from simple functions to more advanced features, helping you choose the best approach based on your dataset size and specific requirements.

For example, if you have a list of data in a worksheet containing both unique and duplicate values, you may not only want to count the frequency of these duplicates but also determine the order of their occurrences as following screenshot shown.


Count the frequency of duplicates in Excel

In Excel, you can use COUNTIF function to count the duplicates.

Select a blank cell adjacent to the first data of your list, and type this formula =COUNTIF($A$2:$A$9, A2) (the range "$A$2:$A$9" indicates the list of data, and "A2" represents the cell you want to count the frequency. You can adjust these as needed), then press "Enter", and drag the fill handle to fill the column you need. See screenshot:
A screenshot of the COUNTIF formula applied to count duplicates in Excel

Tip: If you want to count the duplicates in the whole Column, use this formula =COUNTIF(A:A, A2) (the "Column A" indicates column of data, and "A2" represents the cell you want to count the frequency. You can adjust these as needed).


Track the order of occurrence of duplicates in Excel

But if you want to identify the order of the occurrence of the duplicates, you can use the following formula.

Select a blank cell adjacent to the first data of your list, and type this formula =COUNTIF($A$2:$A2,A2) (the range "$A$2:$A2" indicates the list of data, and "A2" represents the cell you want to count the order. You can adjust these as needed), then press "Enter", and drag the fill handle to fill the column you need. See screenshot:
A screenshot of the COUNTIF formula applied to track the order of duplicates in Excel


Count occurrences of each duplicate in a column with Kutools for Excel

Kutools for Excel’s Advanced Combine Rows utility can help Excel users to batch count the occurrences of each items in a column (the Fruited Column in our case), and then delete the duplicate rows based on this column (the Fruit Column) easily as below:

Kutools for Excel offers over 300 advanced features to streamline complex tasks, boosting creativity and efficiency. Itegarate with AI capabilities, Kutools automates tasks with precision, making data management effortless. Detailed information of Kutools for Excel...         Free trial...

1. Select the table containing the column where you will count each duplicate, and click "Kutools" > "Merge & Split" > "Advanced Combine Rows".

2. In the "Advanced Combine Rows", select the column you will count each duplicate and click "Primary Key", next select the column you will place counting results in and click "Calculate" > "Count", and then click the "OK" button. See screenshot:
A screenshot of Kutools Advanced Combine Rows setup for counting duplicates

And now it has counted the occurrence of each duplicate in the specified column. See screenshot:
A screenshot showing the results of counting duplicates in Excel using Kutools

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Demo: count duplicate values in a column in Excel by Kutools for Excel

 
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