Getting the highest value of a column in MongoDB?

To get the highest value of a column in MongoDB, use the sort() method with limit(1) to retrieve the document containing the maximum value for a specific field.

Syntax

db.collection.find().sort({"fieldName": -1}).limit(1);

The -1 parameter sorts in descending order, placing the highest value first.

Sample Data

Let's create sample documents to demonstrate finding the highest value ?

db.gettingHighestValueDemo.insertMany([
    {"Value": 1029},
    {"Value": 3029},
    {"Value": 1092},
    {"Value": 18484},
    {"Value": 37474},
    {"Value": 88474},
    {"Value": 1938474}
]);

{
    "acknowledged": true,
    "insertedIds": [
        ObjectId("5c900b885705caea966c5574"),
        ObjectId("5c900b8d5705caea966c5575"),
        ObjectId("5c900b925705caea966c5576"),
        ObjectId("5c900b955705caea966c5577"),
        ObjectId("5c900b9c5705caea966c5578"),
        ObjectId("5c900ba75705caea966c5579"),
        ObjectId("5c900bab5705caea966c557a")
    ]
}

Display all documents to see our data ?

db.gettingHighestValueDemo.find().pretty();

{ "_id": ObjectId("5c900b885705caea966c5574"), "Value": 1029 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5c900b8d5705caea966c5575"), "Value": 3029 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5c900b925705caea966c5576"), "Value": 1092 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5c900b955705caea966c5577"), "Value": 18484 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5c900b9c5705caea966c5578"), "Value": 37474 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5c900ba75705caea966c5579"), "Value": 88474 }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5c900bab5705caea966c557a"), "Value": 1938474 }

Example: Getting the Highest Value

Now find the document with the highest Value ?

db.gettingHighestValueDemo.find().sort({"Value": -1}).limit(1);

{ "_id": ObjectId("5c900bab5705caea966c557a"), "Value": 1938474 }

Key Points

• sort({"field": -1}) arranges documents in descending order by the specified field
• limit(1) returns only the first document from the sorted result
• This method returns the entire document, not just the maximum value

Conclusion

Use sort() with -1 for descending order and limit(1) to efficiently retrieve the document containing the highest value in any MongoDB collection field.