Compare two dates in Python

This post will discuss how to compare two dates in Python.

1. Using `datetime` comparison

A simple solution is to use the < or > operators on the given datetime objects to determine which one is earlier. The following example demonstrates this:

from datetime import datetime

if __name__ == '__main__':

first = datetime(2020, 1, 1)

second = datetime.now()

if first < second:

print('First date is less than the second date.')

elif first > second:

print('First date is more than the second date.')

else:

print('Both dates are the same.')

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You can also find the difference between two datetime objects to get a timedelta object and perform the comparison based on the positive or negative value returned by the timedelta.total_seconds() function.

from datetime import datetime

if __name__ == '__main__':

first = datetime(2020, 1, 1)

second = datetime.now()

seconds = (first - second).total_seconds()

if seconds < 0:

print('First date is less than the second date.')

elif seconds > 0:

print('First date is more than the second date.')

else:

print('Both dates are the same.')

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2. Using `time.struct_time` comparison

If dates are given in the string format, you can easily convert them to Python’s date format. Then use the < or > operators to perform the comparison:

import time

if __name__ == '__main__':

x = "01/01/2020"

y = "01/31/2020"

first = time.strptime(x, "%m/%d/%Y")

second = time.strptime(y, "%m/%d/%Y")

if first < second:

print('First date is less than the second date.')

elif first > second:

print('First date is more than the second date.')

else:

print('Both dates are the same.')

Download Run Code

That’s all about comparing two dates in Python.

Compare two dates in Python

1. Using datetime comparison

2. Using time.struct_time comparison

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1. Using `datetime` comparison

2. Using `time.struct_time` comparison