Break and Continue in Python

In Python, Break and Continue are statements executed inside a loop. These statements either skip according to the conditions inside loops or terminate loops at a point. If you want to learn all about the Break and Continue expressions in Python, this article is for you. In this article, I will walk you through a tutorial on Break and Continue in Python loops.

Break and Continue in Python

Break Statement

A break statement is used inside both the for and while loops. Whenever we execute a break statement inside a loop, the control flow terminates the loop immediately. For example, have a look at the code and its output below:

for i in range(0, 5):
    print(i)
    if i == 3:
        break
0
1
2
3

In the above for loop, we want to print the values between 0 to 5, but as we have given a condition that when the variable i gets equal to 3, the loop will terminate. So the loop terminated when i equalled 3.

Continue Statement

The continue statement, on the other hand, skips to the next iteration of the loop. It does not terminate the loop, like the break statement, when a given condition is satisfied. It skips to the next iteration. For example, have a look at the code and its output below:

for i in range(0, 5):
    if i == 3:
        continue
    print(i)
0
1
2
4

In the above for loop, we want to print the values between 0 to 5, but as we have given a condition here that whenever i equals 3, the continue statement will skip it and continue to the next iteration. That is why we cannot see 3 in the above output.

Summary

Whenever we execute a break statement inside a loop, the control flow terminates the loop immediately. The continue statement does not terminate the loop like the break statement when a given condition is satisfied. It skips to the next iteration. I hope you now have understood the break and continue statements in Python. Feel free to ask valuable questions in the comments section below.

Aman Kharwal
Aman Kharwal

Data Strategist at Statso. My aim is to decode data science for the real world in the most simple words.

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