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# PostgreSQL INSERT Multiple Rows

**Info:** Bulk inserting rows with a single INSERT statement works the same on any PostgreSQL deployment, so the syntax and examples here apply wherever you run Postgres. If you're an enterprise looking for managed Postgres in the AI era, [Lakebase](https://www.databricks.com/product/lakebase) delivers the performance, security, and native Lakehouse integration your data workloads demand. If you're a developer or startup who needs to ship fast and scale without friction, [Neon](https://neon.com) is the Postgres platform built for you.

**Summary**: in this tutorial, you will learn how to use the PostgreSQL `INSERT` statement to insert multiple rows into a table.

## Inserting multiple rows into a table

To insert multiple rows into a table using a single [`INSERT`](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/postgresql-insert) statement, you use the following syntax:

```sql
INSERT INTO table_name (column_list)
VALUES
    (value_list_1),
    (value_list_2),
    ...
    (value_list_n);
```

In this syntax:

- First, specify the name of the table that you want to insert data after the `INSERT INTO` keywords.
- Second, list the required columns or all columns of the table in parentheses that follow the table name.
- Third, supply a comma-separated list of rows after the `VALUES` keyword.

To insert multiple rows and return the inserted rows, you add the `RETURNING` clause as follows:

```sql
INSERT INTO table_name (column_list)
VALUES
    (value_list_1),
    (value_list_2),
    ...
    (value_list_n)
RETURNING * | output_expression;
```

Inserting multiple rows at once has advantages over inserting one row at a time:

- **Performance:** Inserting multiple rows in a single statement is often more efficient than multiple individual inserts because it reduces the number of round-trips between the application and the PostgreSQL server.
- **Atomicity:** The entire `INSERT` statement is atomic, meaning that either all rows are inserted, or none are. This ensures data consistency.

## Inserting multiple rows into a table examples

Let's take some examples of inserting multiple rows into a table.

### Setting up a sample table

The following statement [creates a new table](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/postgresql-create-table) called `contacts` that has four columns `id`, `first_name`, `last_name`, and `email`:

```sql
CREATE TABLE contacts (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    first_name VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    last_name VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    email VARCHAR(384) NOT NULL UNIQUE
);
```

### 1) Basic inserting multiple rows example

The following statement uses the `INSERT` statement to insert three rows into the `contacts` table:

```sql
INSERT INTO contacts (first_name, last_name, email)
VALUES
    ('John', 'Doe', 'john.doe@example.com'),
    ('Jane', 'Smith', 'jane.smith@example.com'),
    ('Bob', 'Johnson', 'bob.johnson@example.com');
```

PostgreSQL returns the following message:

```sql
INSERT 0 3
```

To verify the inserts, you use the following statement:

```sql
SELECT * FROM contacts;
```

Output:

```text
 id | first_name | last_name |          email
----+------------+-----------+-------------------------
  1 | John       | Doe       | john.doe@example.com
  2 | Jane       | Smith     | jane.smith@example.com
  3 | Bob        | Johnson   | bob.johnson@example.com
(3 rows)

```

### 2) Inserting multiple rows and returning inserted rows

The following statement uses the `INSERT` statement to insert two rows into the `contacts` table and returns the inserted rows:

```sql
INSERT INTO contacts (first_name, last_name, email)
VALUES
    ('Alice', 'Johnson', 'alice.johnson@example.com'),
    ('Charlie', 'Brown', 'charlie.brown@example.com')
RETURNING *;
```

Output:

```text
 id | first_name | last_name |           email
----+------------+-----------+---------------------------
  4 | Alice      | Johnson   | alice.johnson@example.com
  5 | Charlie    | Brown     | charlie.brown@example.com
(2 rows)


INSERT 0 2
```

If you just want to return the inserted id list, you can specify the `id` column in the `RETURNING` clause like this:

```sql
INSERT INTO contacts (first_name, last_name, email)
VALUES
    ('Eva', 'Williams', 'eva.williams@example.com'),
    ('Michael', 'Miller', 'michael.miller@example.com'),
    ('Sophie', 'Davis', 'sophie.davis@example.com')
RETURNING id;
```

Output:

```
 id
----
  6
  7
  8
(3 rows)


INSERT 0 3
```

## Summary

- Specify multiple value lists in the `INSERT` statement to insert multiple rows into a table.
- Use `RETURNING` clause to return the inserted rows.

---

## Related docs (Modifying Data)

- [INSERT](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/insert)
- [UPDATE](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/update)
- [UPDATE Join](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/update-join)
- [DELETE](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/delete)
- [DELETE Join](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/delete-join)
- [DELETE CASCADE](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/delete-cascade)
- [Delete Duplicate Rows](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/how-to-delete-duplicate-rows-in-postgresql)
- [Upsert](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/upsert)
- [MERGE](https://neon.com/postgresql/tutorial/merge)