Python Statistical Functions for Excel
Python
Statistics
Excel
Use selected scipy.stats distribution methods in Excel through Python-powered statistical functions, including capabilities beyond native Excel functions.
Historical product note (August 2026): This article documents statistical functions from the earlier Example Functions / standalone function-authoring workflow. For current work, start with the reactive notebook product and publish reusable worksheet functions through
BF.FUNCTION().
This release added Python-powered statistical functions for Excel based on selected distributions and methods from Python’s scipy.stats library. The wrappers expose useful capabilities such as density/probability functions, cumulative probabilities, quantiles, survival functions, and summary statistics for a set of distributions, including distributions that do not have direct native Excel equivalents. They do not expose the complete scipy.stats API: SciPy distributions also provide capabilities such as random variate generation, fitting, entropy, expectations, moments, and log-domain methods.
Why Use Python Statistical Functions in Excel?
Excel already provides a broad set of statistical functions, but its distribution coverage and available methods differ from SciPy. For the distributions wrapped by these example Python functions, the main additions include:
- Additional distribution methods such as survival and inverse-survival functions where the corresponding Excel distribution does not expose them directly.
- Summary statistics such as mean, median, variance, and standard deviation through the wrapper interface.
- SciPy-style parameterization using location and scale where supported by the selected SciPy distribution.
- Access to selected distributions without direct Excel distribution-function equivalents, such as Cauchy, Laplace, and Pareto.
These are differences in the selected wrappers, not a claim that they expose every method available in scipy.stats.
Comparison Table: Python vs. Native Excel Functions
| Excel Python Function | Native Excel Function(s) | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| BETA | BETA.DIST, BETA.INV | Python adds survival, inverse survival, and wrapper summary statistics. Excel already supports optional lower/upper interval bounds (A, B). |
| CAUCHY | — | Not available in Excel; the wrapper provides density, cumulative, quantile, survival, and summary-statistic methods. |
| CHISQ | CHISQ.DIST, CHISQ.INV | Python adds survival, inverse survival, wrapper summary statistics, and SciPy-style location/scale parameters. |
| EXPON | EXPON.DIST | Python adds quantile, survival, inverse survival, wrapper summary statistics, and SciPy-style location/scale parameters. |
| F_DIST | F.DIST, F.INV | Python adds survival, inverse survival, wrapper summary statistics, and SciPy-style location/scale parameters. |
| GAMMA | GAMMA.DIST, GAMMA.INV | Python adds survival, inverse survival, wrapper summary statistics, and SciPy-style location/scale parameters. |
| LAPLACE | — | Not available in Excel; the wrapper provides density, cumulative, quantile, survival, and summary-statistic methods. |
| LOGNORM | LOGNORM.DIST, LOGNORM.INV | Python adds survival, inverse survival, and wrapper summary statistics, but SciPy and Excel use different parameter conventions. |
| NORM | NORM.DIST, NORM.INV | Python adds survival, inverse survival, wrapper summary statistics, and SciPy-style location/scale parameters. |
| PARETO | — | Not available in Excel; the wrapper provides density, cumulative, quantile, survival, and summary-statistic methods. |
| T_DIST | T.DIST, T.DIST.2T, T.DIST.RT, T.INV, T.INV.2T | Python adds survival, inverse survival, wrapper summary statistics, and SciPy-style location/scale parameters. |
| UNIFORM | RAND, RANDBETWEEN | Python provides density, cumulative, quantile, survival, and summary-statistic methods not provided by RAND/RANDBETWEEN. |
| WEIBULL_MIN | WEIBULL.DIST | Python adds quantile, survival, inverse survival, wrapper summary statistics, and SciPy-style location/scale parameters. |
Parameter names are not always directly interchangeable between Excel and SciPy. For example, Excel’s LOGNORM.DIST takes the mean and standard deviation of ln(x). SciPy’s lognorm represents the same common two-parameter lognormal case with s = sigma, loc = 0, and scale = exp(mu).
Legend: - PDF: Probability Density Function - CDF: Cumulative Distribution Function - Quantile: Inverse CDF - Survival: Survival Function (1 - CDF) - Stats: Mean, Median, Variance, Standard Deviation
Example: Using Python Functions in Excel
Suppose you want to compute the inverse CDF (quantile) for the Weibull distribution, which is not available in native Excel. With the new Python function, you can simply use:
=WEIBULL_MIN(0.95, 1.5, 0, 1, "icdf")Similarly, for distributions not available in Excel at all (like Pareto or Cauchy), you can now perform advanced statistical analysis directly in your spreadsheet.
Getting Started
To use these functions, add them from the list of Example Functions in our Python for Excel add-in. Then, simply call the functions as you would any Excel formula.
You can see the full list of available functions in our Python Functions Repository.
Excel Statistical Functions
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| AVEDEV | Returns the average of the absolute deviations of data points from their mean |
| AVERAGE | Returns the average of its arguments |
| AVERAGEA | Returns the average of its arguments, including numbers, text, and logical values |
| AVERAGEIF | Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of all the cells in a range that meet a given criteria |
| AVERAGEIFS | Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of all cells that meet multiple criteria |
| BETA.DIST | Returns the beta cumulative distribution function |
| BETA.INV | Returns the inverse of the cumulative distribution function for a specified beta distribution |
| BINOM.DIST | Returns the individual term binomial distribution probability |
| BINOM.DIST.RANGE | Returns the probability of a trial result using a binomial distribution |
| BINOM.INV | Returns the smallest value for which the cumulative binomial distribution is less than or equal to a criterion value |
| CHISQ.DIST | Returns the chi-squared distribution |
| CHISQ.DIST.RT | Returns the one-tailed probability of the chi-squared distribution |
| CHISQ.INV | Returns the inverse of the left-tailed probability of the chi-squared distribution |
| CHISQ.INV.RT | Returns the inverse of the one-tailed probability of the chi-squared distribution |
| CHISQ.TEST | Returns the test for independence |
| CONFIDENCE.NORM | Returns the confidence interval for a population mean |
| CONFIDENCE.T | Returns the confidence interval for a population mean, using a Student’s t distribution |
| CORREL | Returns the correlation coefficient between two data sets |
| COUNT | Counts how many numbers are in the list of arguments |
| COUNTA | Counts how many values are in the list of arguments |
| COUNTBLANK | Counts the number of blank cells within a range |
| COUNTIF | Counts the number of cells within a range that meet the given criteria |
| COUNTIFS | Counts the number of cells within a range that meet multiple criteria |
| COVARIANCE.P | Returns covariance, the average of the products of paired deviations |
| COVARIANCE.S | Returns the sample covariance, the average of the products deviations for each data point pair in two data sets |
| DEVSQ | Returns the sum of squares of deviations |
| EXPON.DIST | Returns the exponential distribution |
| F.DIST | Returns the F probability distribution |
| F.DIST.RT | Returns the F probability distribution |
| F.INV | Returns the inverse of the F probability distribution |
| F.INV.RT | Returns the inverse of the F probability distribution |
| F.TEST | Returns the result of an F-test |
| FISHER | Returns the Fisher transformation |
| FISHERINV | Returns the inverse of the Fisher transformation |
| FORECAST | Returns a value along a linear trend |
| FORECAST.ETS | Returns a future value based on existing (historical) values by using the AAA version of the Exponential Smoothing (ETS) algorithm |
| FORECAST.ETS.CONFINT | Returns a confidence interval for the forecast value at the specified target date |
| FORECAST.ETS.SEASONALITY | Returns the length of the repetitive pattern Excel detects for the specified time series |
| FORECAST.ETS.STAT | Returns a statistical value as a result of time series forecasting |
| FORECAST.LINEAR | Returns a future value based on existing values |
| FREQUENCY | Returns a frequency distribution as a vertical array |
| GAMMA | Returns the gamma function value |
| GAMMA.DIST | Returns the gamma distribution |
| GAMMA.INV | Returns the inverse of the gamma cumulative distribution |
| GAMMALN | Returns the natural logarithm of the gamma function, Γ(x) |
| GAMMALN.PRECISE | Returns the natural logarithm of the gamma function, Γ(x) |
| GAUSS | Returns 0.5 less than the standard normal cumulative distribution |
| GEOMEAN | Returns the geometric mean |
| GROWTH | Returns values along an exponential trend |
| HARMEAN | Returns the harmonic mean |
| HYPGEOM.DIST | Returns the hypergeometric distribution |
| INTERCEPT | Returns the intercept of the linear regression line |
| KURT | Returns the kurtosis of a data set |
| LARGE | Returns the k-th largest value in a data set |
| LINEST | Returns the parameters of a linear trend |
| LOGEST | Returns the parameters of an exponential trend |
| LOGNORM.DIST | Returns the cumulative lognormal distribution |
| LOGNORM.INV | Returns the inverse of the lognormal cumulative distribution |
| MAX | Returns the maximum value in a list of arguments |
| MAXA | Returns the maximum value in a list of arguments, including numbers, text, and logical values |
| MAXIFS | Returns the maximum value among cells specified by a given set of conditions or criteria |
| MEDIAN | Returns the median of the given numbers |
| MIN | Returns the minimum value in a list of arguments |
| MINIFS | Returns the minimum value among cells specified by a given set of conditions or criteria. |
| MINA | Returns the smallest value in a list of arguments, including numbers, text, and logical values |
| MODE.MULT | Returns a vertical array of the most frequently occurring, or repetitive values in an array or range of data |
| MODE.SNGL | Returns the most common value in a data set |
| NEGBINOM.DIST | Returns the negative binomial distribution |
| NORM.DIST | Returns the normal cumulative distribution |
| NORM.INV | Returns the inverse of the normal cumulative distribution |
| NORM.S.DIST | Returns the standard normal cumulative distribution |
| NORM.S.INV | Returns the inverse of the standard normal cumulative distribution |
| PEARSON | Returns the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient |
| PERCENTILE.EXC | Returns the k-th percentile of values in a range, where k is in the range 0 to 1, exclusive. |
| PERCENTILE.INC | Returns the k-th percentile of values in a range |
| PERCENTRANK.EXC | Returns the rank of a value in a data set as a percentage (0 to 1, exclusive) of the data set |
| PERCENTRANK.INC | Returns the percentage rank of a value in a data set |
| PERMUT | Returns the number of permutations for a given number of objects |
| PERMUTATIONA | Returns the number of permutations for a given number of objects (with repetitions) that can be selected from the total objects |
| PHI | Returns the value of the density function for a standard normal distribution |
| POISSON.DIST | Returns the Poisson distribution |
| PROB | Returns the probability that values in a range are between two limits |
| QUARTILE.EXC | Returns the quartile of the data set, based on percentile values from 0 to 1, exclusive |
| QUARTILE.INC | Returns the quartile of a data set |
| RANK.AVG | Returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers |
| RANK.EQ | Returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers |
| RSQ | Returns the square of the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient |
| SKEW | Returns the skewness of a distribution |
| SKEW.P | Returns the skewness of a distribution based on a population: a characterization of the degree of asymmetry of a distribution around its mean |
| SLOPE | Returns the slope of the linear regression line |
| SMALL | Returns the k-th smallest value in a data set |
| STANDARDIZE | Returns a normalized value |
| STDEV.P | Calculates standard deviation based on the entire population |
| STDEV.S | Estimates standard deviation based on a sample |
| STDEVA | Estimates standard deviation based on a sample, including numbers, text, and logical values |
| STDEVPA | Calculates standard deviation based on the entire population, including numbers, text, and logical values |
| STEYX | Returns the standard error of the predicted y-value for each x in the regression |
| T.DIST | Returns the Percentage Points (probability) for the Student t-distribution |
| T.DIST.2T | Returns the Percentage Points (probability) for the Student t-distribution |
| T.DIST.RT | Returns the Student’s t-distribution |
| T.INV | Returns the t-value of the Student’s t-distribution as a function of the probability and the degrees of freedom |
| T.INV.2T | Returns the inverse of the Student’s t-distribution |
| T.TEST | Returns the probability associated with a Student’s t-test |
| TREND | Returns values along a linear trend |
| TRIMMEAN | Returns the mean of the interior of a data set |
| VAR.P | Calculates variance based on the entire population |
| VAR.S | Estimates variance based on a sample |
| VARA | Estimates variance based on a sample, including numbers, text, and logical values |
| VARPA | Calculates variance based on the entire population, including numbers, text, and logical values |
| WEIBULL.DIST | Returns the Weibull distribution |
| Z.TEST | Returns the one-tailed probability-value of a z-test |