Return the last item in an Excel column - TechRepublic

Return the last item in an Excel column

Use this Excel formula to easily return the last item from any list.

Written By
Susan Harkins
Susan Harkins
Oct 19, 2008
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If you work with chronological lists or daily updates, you might also track the last item in a constantly changing list of values. Fortunately, you can combine Excel’s INDEX() and COUNTA() functions to return the last value in a list by using the following expression:

=INDEX(column, COUNTA(column), 1)

For instance, to return the last value in column A, you’d use the expression

=INDEX(A:A, COUNTA(A:A), 1)

As you update the list, the formula automatically compensates.

The one thing this formula can’t handle is an empty cell. For instance, the formula for column B (cell G3) returns 0 when it encounters the empty cell (at cell C9).

However, if you enter 0, instead of leaving the cell blank, the formula returns the correct value, 0.073.

Susan Harkins

Susan Sales Harkins is an IT consultant, specializing in desktop solutions. Previously, she was editor in chief for The Cobb Group, the world's largest publisher of technical journals.