MIN - SPARQLqueries

Understanding MIN

The MIN aggregate function returns the smallest value from a set of values. It works with numbers (smallest value), dates (earliest), and strings (alphabetically first).

Syntax	Description	Example Result
`MIN(?value)`	Smallest value overall	Single minimum
`MIN(?value) ... GROUP BY ?category`	Smallest per group	One min per category
`MIN(?date)`	Earliest date	First chronologically

Finding Global Minimums

Smallest Country by Area

Run ↗

SELECT (MIN(?area) AS ?minArea)
WHERE {
  ?country wdt:P31 wd:Q6256 ;
           wdt:P2046 ?area .
}

Aggregate Returns: Vatican City's area (~0.44 km²)

Lowest Elevation Point

Run ↗

SELECT (MIN(?elevation) AS ?lowestPoint)
WHERE {
  ?place wdt:P2044 ?elevation .
  FILTER(?elevation < 0)
}

Aggregate Find the deepest below-sea-level point

Earliest Founded University

Run ↗

SELECT (MIN(?founded) AS ?earliestFounding)
WHERE {
  ?uni wdt:P31 wd:Q3918 ;
       wdt:P571 ?founded .
}

Aggregate MIN on dates finds the earliest

MIN with GROUP BY

Combining MIN with GROUP BY finds the minimum value within each category, allowing comparisons across different groups.

Smallest City per Country

Run ↗

SELECT ?country ?countryLabel (MIN(?population) AS ?smallestCity)
WHERE {
  ?city wdt:P31 wd:Q515 ;
        wdt:P17 ?country ;
        wdt:P1082 ?population .
  SERVICE wikibase:label {
    bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
  }
}
GROUP BY ?country ?countryLabel
ORDER BY ?smallestCity
LIMIT 20

Aggregate One minimum per country

Earliest Birth Year per Profession

Run ↗

SELECT ?occupation ?occupationLabel (MIN(YEAR(?birth)) AS ?earliestBirth)
WHERE {
  VALUES ?occupation { wd:Q36180 wd:Q82955 wd:Q1028181 wd:Q593644 }
  ?person wdt:P31 wd:Q5 ;
          wdt:P106 ?occupation ;
          wdt:P569 ?birth .
  SERVICE wikibase:label {
    bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
  }
}
GROUP BY ?occupation ?occupationLabel
ORDER BY ?earliestBirth

Aggregate Compare: writer, politician, painter, chemist

Shortest River per Continent

Run ↗

SELECT ?continent ?continentLabel (MIN(?length) AS ?shortestRiver)
WHERE {
  ?river wdt:P31 wd:Q4022 ;
         wdt:P2043 ?length ;
         wdt:P30 ?continent .
  SERVICE wikibase:label {
    bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
  }
}
GROUP BY ?continent ?continentLabel
ORDER BY ?shortestRiver

Aggregate Geographic comparison across continents

Finding the Item with Minimum Value

Often you want to find which item has the minimum value, not just what the minimum is. This requires a subquery pattern.

Which Country Has Smallest Area?

Run ↗

SELECT ?country ?countryLabel ?area
WHERE {
  ?country wdt:P31 wd:Q6256 ;
           wdt:P2046 ?area .
  {
    SELECT (MIN(?a) AS ?minArea)
    WHERE {
      ?c wdt:P31 wd:Q6256 ;
         wdt:P2046 ?a .
    }
  }
  FILTER(?area = ?minArea)
  SERVICE wikibase:label {
    bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
  }
}

Aggregate Subquery pattern to get the actual item

Oldest Person in Each Profession

Run ↗

SELECT ?occupation ?occupationLabel ?person ?personLabel ?birth
WHERE {
  VALUES ?occupation { wd:Q36180 wd:Q82955 wd:Q1028181 }
  ?person wdt:P31 wd:Q5 ;
          wdt:P106 ?occupation ;
          wdt:P569 ?birth .
  {
    SELECT ?occupation (MIN(?b) AS ?minBirth)
    WHERE {
      VALUES ?occupation { wd:Q36180 wd:Q82955 wd:Q1028181 }
      ?p wdt:P106 ?occupation ;
         wdt:P569 ?b .
    }
    GROUP BY ?occupation
  }
  FILTER(?birth = ?minBirth)
  SERVICE wikibase:label {
    bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
  }
}

Aggregate Per-group minimum with item details

MIN vs ORDER BY + LIMIT 1

For finding a single minimum, ORDER BY ... LIMIT 1 is often simpler. Use MIN when you need the value in an aggregate context or with GROUP BY.

Alternative: ORDER BY for Minimum

Run ↗

SELECT ?country ?countryLabel ?area
WHERE {
  ?country wdt:P31 wd:Q6256 ;
           wdt:P2046 ?area .
  SERVICE wikibase:label {
    bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
  }
}
ORDER BY ?area
LIMIT 1

Aggregate Simpler for single minimum with item details