What is the MySQL IN Operator?
The IN
operator allows you to specify multiple values in a WHERE
clause. The IN
operator is a shorthand for multiple OR
conditions.
- MySQL IN Operator used to retrieve the result set by checking whether a value from the set of literal values or provided by the subquery is matched or not.
- Basically, this operator helps to determine the specific value if available in the result of subquery using the WHERE clause.
- It fetches the set of columns from the table if a particular value is present in the list of values provided to match a conditional expression.
- Thus, the MySQL IN operator like other MySQL operators allows comparing a value matching from the set of column values returned by a subquery statement.
- If we want to get the rows as result from the Database table where a particular value should be present in a list of values available through conditional query then, we use MySQL IN operator.
- We extract the rows which have matching values in the list of values in IN operator function from a particular value of column given using WHERE keyword in MySQL.
IN Syntax
SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name IN (value1, value2, ...);
or:SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name IN (SELECT STATEMENT);
In this syntax:
- First, specify the value to test on the left side of the
IN
operator. The value can be a column or an expression. - Second, specify a comma-separated list of values to match in the parentheses.
The IN
operator is functionally equivalent to the combination of multiple OR
operators:
value = value1 OR value = value2 OR value = value3 OR ...
How does in operator works in MySQL?
Introduction to MySQL IN Operator. MySQL IN Operator used to retrieve the result set by checking whether a value from the set of literal values or provided by the subquery is matched or not. Basically, this operator helps to determine the specific value if available in the result of subquery using the WHERE clause.
Demo Database
The table below shows the complete “Customers” table from the Northwind sample database:
CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Obere Str. 57 | Berlin | 12209 | Germany |
2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
5 | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvägen 8 | Luleå | S-958 22 | Sweden |
6 | Blauer See Delikatessen | Hanna Moos | Forsterstr. 57 | Mannheim | 68306 | Germany |
7 | Blondel père et fils | Frédérique Citeaux | 24, place Kléber | Strasbourg | 67000 | France |
8 | Bólido Comidas preparadas | Martín Sommer | C/ Araquil, 67 | Madrid | 28023 | Spain |
9 | Bon app’ | Laurence Lebihans | 12, rue des Bouchers | Marseille | 13008 | France |
10 | Bottom-Dollar Marketse | Elizabeth Lincoln | 23 Tsawassen Blvd. | Tsawassen | T2F 8M4 | Canada |
11 | B’s Beverages | Victoria Ashworth | Fauntleroy Circus | London | EC2 5NT | UK |
12 | Cactus Comidas para llevar | Patricio Simpson | Cerrito 333 | Buenos Aires | 1010 | Argentina |
13 | Centro comercial Moctezuma | Francisco Chang | Sierras de Granada 9993 | México D.F. | 05022 | Mexico |
14 | Chop-suey Chinese | Yang Wang | Hauptstr. 29 | Bern | 3012 | Switzerland |
15 | Comércio Mineiro | Pedro Afonso | Av. dos Lusíadas, 23 | São Paulo | 05432-043 | Brazil |
16 | Consolidated Holdings | Elizabeth Brown | Berkeley Gardens 12 Brewery | London | WX1 6LT | UK |
17 | Drachenblut Delikatessend | Sven Ottlieb | Walserweg 21 | Aachen | 52066 | Germany |
18 | Du monde entier | Janine Labrune | 67, rue des Cinquante Otages | Nantes | 44000 | France |
19 | Eastern Connection | Ann Devon | 35 King George | London | WX3 6FW | UK |
20 | Ernst Handel | Roland Mendel | Kirchgasse 6 | Graz | 8010 | Austria |
21 | Familia Arquibaldo | Aria Cruz | Rua Orós, 92 | São Paulo | 05442-030 | Brazil |
22 | FISSA Fabrica Inter. Salchichas S.A. | Diego Roel | C/ Moralzarzal, 86 | Madrid | 28034 | Spain |
23 | Folies gourmandes | Martine Rancé | 184, chaussée de Tournai | Lille | 59000 | France |
24 | Folk och fä HB | Maria Larsson | Åkergatan 24 | Bräcke | S-844 67 | Sweden |
25 | Frankenversand | Peter Franken | Berliner Platz 43 | München | 80805 | Germany |
26 | France restauration | Carine Schmitt | 54, rue Royale | Nantes | 44000 | France |
27 | Franchi S.p.A. | Paolo Accorti | Via Monte Bianco 34 | Torino | 10100 | Italy |
28 | Furia Bacalhau e Frutos do Mar | Lino Rodriguez | Jardim das rosas n. 32 | Lisboa | 1675 | Portugal |
29 | Galería del gastrónomo | Eduardo Saavedra | Rambla de Cataluña, 23 | Barcelona | 08022 | Spain |
30 | Godos Cocina Típica | José Pedro Freyre | C/ Romero, 33 | Sevilla | 41101 | Spain |
31 | Gourmet Lanchonetes | André Fonseca | Av. Brasil, 442 | Campinas | 04876-786 | Brazil |
32 | Great Lakes Food Market | Howard Snyder | 2732 Baker Blvd. | Eugene | 97403 | USA |
33 | GROSELLA-Restaurante | Manuel Pereira | 5ª Ave. Los Palos Grandes | Caracas | 1081 | Venezuela |
34 | Hanari Carnes | Mario Pontes | Rua do Paço, 67 | Rio de Janeiro | 05454-876 | Brazil |
35 | HILARIÓN-Abastos | Carlos Hernández | Carrera 22 con Ave. Carlos Soublette #8-35 | San Cristóbal | 5022 | Venezuela |
36 | Hungry Coyote Import Store | Yoshi Latimer | City Center Plaza 516 Main St. | Elgin | 97827 | USA |
37 | Hungry Owl All-Night Grocers | Patricia McKenna | 8 Johnstown Road | Cork | Ireland | |
38 | Island Trading | Helen Bennett | Garden House Crowther Way | Cowes | PO31 7PJ | UK |
39 | Königlich Essen | Philip Cramer | Maubelstr. 90 | Brandenburg | 14776 | Germany |
40 | La corne d’abondance | Daniel Tonini | 67, avenue de l’Europe | Versailles | 78000 | France |
41 | La maison d’Asie | Annette Roulet | 1 rue Alsace-Lorraine | Toulouse | 31000 | France |
42 | Laughing Bacchus Wine Cellars | Yoshi Tannamuri | 1900 Oak St. | Vancouver | V3F 2K1 | Canada |
43 | Lazy K Kountry Store | John Steel | 12 Orchestra Terrace | Walla Walla | 99362 | USA |
44 | Lehmanns Marktstand | Renate Messner | Magazinweg 7 | Frankfurt a.M. | 60528 | Germany |
45 | Let’s Stop N Shop | Jaime Yorres | 87 Polk St. Suite 5 | San Francisco | 94117 | USA |
46 | LILA-Supermercado | Carlos González | Carrera 52 con Ave. Bolívar #65-98 Llano Largo | Barquisimeto | 3508 | Venezuela |
47 | LINO-Delicateses | Felipe Izquierdo | Ave. 5 de Mayo Porlamar | I. de Margarita | 4980 | Venezuela |
48 | Lonesome Pine Restaurant | Fran Wilson | 89 Chiaroscuro Rd. | Portland | 97219 | USA |
49 | Magazzini Alimentari Riuniti | Giovanni Rovelli | Via Ludovico il Moro 22 | Bergamo | 24100 | Italy |
50 | Maison Dewey | Catherine Dewey | Rue Joseph-Bens 532 | Bruxelles | B-1180 | Belgium |
51 | Mère Paillarde | Jean Fresnière | 43 rue St. Laurent | Montréal | H1J 1C3 | Canada |
52 | Morgenstern Gesundkost | Alexander Feuer | Heerstr. 22 | Leipzig | 04179 | Germany |
53 | North/South | Simon Crowther | South House 300 Queensbridge | London | SW7 1RZ | UK |
54 | Océano Atlántico Ltda. | Yvonne Moncada | Ing. Gustavo Moncada 8585 Piso 20-A | Buenos Aires | 1010 | Argentina |
55 | Old World Delicatessen | Rene Phillips | 2743 Bering St. | Anchorage | 99508 | USA |
56 | Ottilies Käseladen | Henriette Pfalzheim | Mehrheimerstr. 369 | Köln | 50739 | Germany |
57 | Paris spécialités | Marie Bertrand | 265, boulevard Charonne | Paris | 75012 | France |
58 | Pericles Comidas clásicas | Guillermo Fernández | Calle Dr. Jorge Cash 321 | México D.F. | 05033 | Mexico |
59 | Piccolo und mehr | Georg Pipps | Geislweg 14 | Salzburg | 5020 | Austria |
60 | Princesa Isabel Vinhoss | Isabel de Castro | Estrada da saúde n. 58 | Lisboa | 1756 | Portugal |
61 | Que Delícia | Bernardo Batista | Rua da Panificadora, 12 | Rio de Janeiro | 02389-673 | Brazil |
62 | Queen Cozinha | Lúcia Carvalho | Alameda dos Canàrios, 891 | São Paulo | 05487-020 | Brazil |
63 | QUICK-Stop | Horst Kloss | Taucherstraße 10 | Cunewalde | 01307 | Germany |
64 | Rancho grande | Sergio Gutiérrez | Av. del Libertador 900 | Buenos Aires | 1010 | Argentina |
65 | Rattlesnake Canyon Grocery | Paula Wilson | 2817 Milton Dr. | Albuquerque | 87110 | USA |
66 | Reggiani Caseifici | Maurizio Moroni | Strada Provinciale 124 | Reggio Emilia | 42100 | Italy |
67 | Ricardo Adocicados | Janete Limeira | Av. Copacabana, 267 | Rio de Janeiro | 02389-890 | Brazil |
68 | Richter Supermarkt | Michael Holz | Grenzacherweg 237 | Genève | 1203 | Switzerland |
69 | Romero y tomillo | Alejandra Camino | Gran Vía, 1 | Madrid | 28001 | Spain |
70 | Santé Gourmet | Jonas Bergulfsen | Erling Skakkes gate 78 | Stavern | 4110 | Norway |
71 | Save-a-lot Markets | Jose Pavarotti | 187 Suffolk Ln. | Boise | 83720 | USA |
72 | Seven Seas Imports | Hari Kumar | 90 Wadhurst Rd. | London | OX15 4NB | UK |
73 | Simons bistro | Jytte Petersen | Vinbæltet 34 | København | 1734 | Denmark |
74 | Spécialités du monde | Dominique Perrier | 25, rue Lauriston | Paris | 75016 | France |
75 | Split Rail Beer & Ale | Art Braunschweiger | P.O. Box 555 | Lander | 82520 | USA |
76 | Suprêmes délices | Pascale Cartrain | Boulevard Tirou, 255 | Charleroi | B-6000 | Belgium |
77 | The Big Cheese | Liz Nixon | 89 Jefferson Way Suite 2 | Portland | 97201 | USA |
78 | The Cracker Box | Liu Wong | 55 Grizzly Peak Rd. | Butte | 59801 | USA |
79 | Toms Spezialitäten | Karin Josephs | Luisenstr. 48 | Münster | 44087 | Germany |
80 | Tortuga Restaurante | Miguel Angel Paolino | Avda. Azteca 123 | México D.F. | 05033 | Mexico |
81 | Tradição Hipermercados | Anabela Domingues | Av. Inês de Castro, 414 | São Paulo | 05634-030 | Brazil |
82 | Trail’s Head Gourmet Provisioners | Helvetius Nagy | 722 DaVinci Blvd. | Kirkland | 98034 | USA |
83 | Vaffeljernet | Palle Ibsen | Smagsløget 45 | Århus | 8200 | Denmark |
84 | Victuailles en stock | Mary Saveley | 2, rue du Commerce | Lyon | 69004 | France |
85 | Vins et alcools Chevalier | Paul Henriot | 59 rue de l’Abbaye | Reims | 51100 | France |
86 | Die Wandernde Kuh | Rita Müller | Adenauerallee 900 | Stuttgart | 70563 | Germany |
87 | Wartian Herkku | Pirkko Koskitalo | Torikatu 38 | Oulu | 90110 | Finland |
88 | Wellington Importadora | Paula Parente | Rua do Mercado, 12 | Resende | 08737-363 | Brazil |
89 | White Clover Markets | Karl Jablonski | 305 – 14th Ave. S. Suite 3B | Seattle | 98128 | USA |
90 | Wilman Kala | Matti Karttunen | Keskuskatu 45 | Helsinki | 21240 | Finland |
91 | Wolski | Zbyszek | ul. Filtrowa 68 | Walla | 01-012 | Poland |
IN Operator Examples
The following SQL statement selects all customers that are located in “Germany”, “France” or “UK”:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers<br>WHERE Country IN ('Germany', 'France', 'UK');
The following SQL statement selects all customers that are NOT located in “Germany”, “France” or “UK”:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers<br>WHERE Country NOT IN ('Germany', 'France', 'UK');
The following SQL statement selects all customers that are from the same countries as the suppliers:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers<br>WHERE Country IN (SELECT Country FROM Suppliers);
Examples to Implement IN operator in MySQL
Let us now discuss the IN operator using some examples and learn the code to write the SQL query for it.
Example #1 – within, NOT IN and OR
We are using tables named ‘Customers’ and ‘Employees’. Below is the SQL statement using IN operator in the Customers table.
Customers Table:

Employees Table:

<code>SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE City IN (‘Delhi’, ‘Mumbai’);</code>
The above query with IN operator will fetch all the records from the table where the customers are from the cities provided in the IN keyword: Delhi and Mumbai.
Output:

If we use OR operator in the query above then, the result will be the same as above:
Output:

But if we have multiple values in the list, then we need to separate each value with OR operators and the statement will be constructed very long. Therefore, to avoid such kind of issue and making the SQL syntax more proper and readable, the IN operator is introduced in MySQL. So, the IN keywords has helped to shorten the statement by listing values together separated by commas.
In reverse, if we want to get the result set which does not match the values in the list then, we use the following query with NOT IN operator in MySQL:
Query:
<code>SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE City NOT IN (‘Delhi’, ‘Mumbai’);</code>
Output:

You can see from the result above that NOT IN operator has fetched the rows of customers form the table that does not belong or related to the cities provided in the list: Delhi and Mumbai.
Example #2 – With Subquery
Generally, the IN operator is used with an inner query or subquery. It is done so because instead of passing a list of literal values with IN keyword, we can use a subquery which fetches the list of values from one or multiple tables and provides them as input to IN operator to match the value in the outer query and produce the result from the SQL statement. In the following query, we have taken both tables Customers (CustNum, Name, City, Phone) and Employees (EmpNum, Profile, CustNum, Salary) to filter the result set from both the tables in MySQL:
Query:
<code>SELECT;CustNum,Name, City FROM Customers WHERE;CustNum;IN (SELECT;CustNum;FROM Employees where;EmpNum;> 202 ) ORDER BY;CustNum;</code>
Output:

Here, the IN Operator has provided the result rows from Customers using subquery where the output of subquery from Employees is the values of the CustNum column which includes the employees having their salary greater than 5000.