MySQL DATEDIFF() Function

The DATEDIFF() function in MySQL calculates the difference between two dates and returns the result as the number of days between them.

DATEDIFF(): Definition and Usage

DATEDIFF() is a very useful function for working with dates and time intervals. It's frequently used to calculate durations, to filter data based on time ranges, or to perform other time-based analyses. The function always returns the difference in days; it doesn't return partial days or other time units.

Syntax


DATEDIFF(date1, date2)

Parameter Values

Parameter	Description
`date1, date2`	The two dates you want to find the difference between. The order matters (date1 - date2). Both are required.

Examples

Calculating the Difference Between Two Dates

This example finds the number of days between June 15th, 2017 and June 25th, 2017.

Syntax


SELECT DATEDIFF("2017-06-25", "2017-06-15");

Output

Calculating the Difference Between Two Datetimes

This example demonstrates that DATEDIFF() works with datetime values; only the date portion is considered.

Syntax


SELECT DATEDIFF("2017-06-25 09:34:21", "2017-06-15 15:25:35");

Output

Calculating the Difference Across Months

Calculating the number of days between December 24th, 2016 and January 1st, 2017.

Syntax


SELECT DATEDIFF("2017-01-01", "2016-12-24");