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# Nullable integer data type

Note

IntegerArray is currently experimental. Its API or implementation may change without warning. Uses `pandas.NA` as the missing value.

In Working with missing data, we saw that pandas primarily uses `NaN` to represent missing data. Because `NaN` is a float, this forces an array of integers with any missing values to become floating point. In some cases, this may not matter much. But if your integer column is, say, an identifier, casting to float can be problematic. Some integers cannot even be represented as floating point numbers.

## Construction

pandas can represent integer data with possibly missing values using `arrays.IntegerArray`. This is an extension type implemented within pandas.

    In [1]: arr = pd.array([1, 2, None], dtype=pd.Int64Dtype())

    In [2]: arr
    Out[2]:
    <IntegerArray>
    [1, 2, <NA>]
    Length: 3, dtype: Int64

Or the string alias `"Int64"` (note the capital `"I"`) to differentiate from NumPy’s `'int64'` dtype:

    In [3]: pd.array([1, 2, np.nan], dtype="Int64")
    Out[3]:
    <IntegerArray>
    [1, 2, <NA>]
    Length: 3, dtype: Int64

All NA-like values are replaced with `pandas.NA`.

    In [4]: pd.array([1, 2, np.nan, None, pd.NA], dtype="Int64")
    Out[4]:
    <IntegerArray>
    [1, 2, <NA>, <NA>, <NA>]
    Length: 5, dtype: Int64

This array can be stored in a `DataFrame` or `Series` like any NumPy array.

    In [5]: pd.Series(arr)
    Out[5]:
    0       1
    1       2
    2    <NA>
    dtype: Int64

You can also pass the list-like object to the `Series` constructor with the dtype.

Warning

Currently `pandas.array()` and `pandas.Series()` use different rules for dtype inference. `pandas.array()` will infer a nullable-integer dtype

    In [6]: pd.array([1, None])
    Out[6]:
    <IntegerArray>
    [1, <NA>]
    Length: 2, dtype: Int64

    In [7]: pd.array([1, 2])
    Out[7]:
    <IntegerArray>
    [1, 2]
    Length: 2, dtype: Int64

For backwards-compatibility, `Series` infers these as either integer or float dtype.

    In [8]: pd.Series([1, None])
    Out[8]:
    0    1.0
    1    NaN
    dtype: float64

    In [9]: pd.Series([1, 2])
    Out[9]:
    0    1
    1    2
    dtype: int64

We recommend explicitly providing the dtype to avoid confusion.

    In [10]: pd.array([1, None], dtype="Int64")
    Out[10]:
    <IntegerArray>
    [1, <NA>]
    Length: 2, dtype: Int64

    In [11]: pd.Series([1, None], dtype="Int64")
    Out[11]:
    0       1
    1    <NA>
    dtype: Int64

In the future, we may provide an option for `Series` to infer a nullable-integer dtype.

If you create a column of `NA` values (for example to fill them later) with `df['new_col'] = pd.NA`, the `dtype` would be set to `object` in the new column. The performance on this column will be worse than with the appropriate type. It’s better to use `df['new_col'] = pd.Series(pd.NA, dtype="Int64")` (or another `dtype` that supports `NA`).

    In [12]: df = pd.DataFrame()

    In [13]: df['objects'] = pd.NA

    In [14]: df.dtypes
    Out[14]:
    objects    object
    dtype: object

## Operations

Operations involving an integer array will behave similar to NumPy arrays. Missing values will be propagated, and the data will be coerced to another dtype if needed.

    In [15]: s = pd.Series([1, 2, None], dtype="Int64")

    # arithmetic
    In [16]: s + 1
    Out[16]:
    0       2
    1       3
    2    <NA>
    dtype: Int64

    # comparison
    In [17]: s == 1
    Out[17]:
    0     True
    1    False
    2     <NA>
    dtype: boolean

    # slicing operation
    In [18]: s.iloc[1:3]
    Out[18]:
    1       2
    2    <NA>
    dtype: Int64

    # operate with other dtypes
    In [19]: s + s.iloc[1:3].astype("Int8")
    Out[19]:
    0    <NA>
    1       4
    2    <NA>
    dtype: Int64

    # coerce when needed
    In [20]: s + 0.01
    Out[20]:
    0    1.01
    1    2.01
    2    <NA>
    dtype: Float64

These dtypes can operate as part of a `DataFrame`.

    In [21]: df = pd.DataFrame({"A": s, "B": [1, 1, 3], "C": list("aab")})

    In [22]: df
    Out[22]:
          A  B  C
    0     1  1  a
    1     2  1  a
    2  <NA>  3  b

    In [23]: df.dtypes
    Out[23]:
    A    Int64
    B    int64
    C      str
    dtype: object

These dtypes can be merged, reshaped & casted.

    In [24]: pd.concat([df[["A"]], df[["B", "C"]]], axis=1).dtypes
    Out[24]:
    A    Int64
    B    int64
    C      str
    dtype: object

    In [25]: df["A"].astype(float)
    Out[25]:
    0    1.0
    1    2.0
    2    NaN
    Name: A, dtype: float64

Reduction and groupby operations such as `sum()` work as well.

    In [26]: df.sum(numeric_only=True)
    Out[26]:
    A    3
    B    5
    dtype: Int64

    In [27]: df.sum()
    Out[27]:
    A      3
    B      5
    C    aab
    dtype: object

    In [28]: df.groupby("B").A.sum()
    Out[28]:
    B
    1    3
    3    0
    Name: A, dtype: Int64

## Scalar NA value

`arrays.IntegerArray` uses `pandas.NA` as its scalar missing value. Slicing a single element that’s missing will return `pandas.NA`

    In [29]: a = pd.array([1, None], dtype="Int64")

    In [30]: a[1]
    Out[30]: <NA>