MySQL RIGHT JOIN

A RIGHT JOIN is the mirror image of a LEFT JOIN. It returns all rows from the right table, and the matching rows from the left table. When a row in the right table has no match in the left table, the left-side columns are filled with NULL. No row from the right table is ever excluded.

Syntax

SELECT columns
FROM table_a AS a
RIGHT JOIN table_b AS b ON a.id = b.foreign_key;

RIGHT JOIN Example

Get all orders, with customer details where available:

SELECT c.name, c.city, o.id AS order_id, o.amount
FROM customers AS c
RIGHT JOIN orders AS o ON c.id = o.customer_id;

All 4 orders appear in the result. Order id=4 references customer_id=6 which does not exist — so the customer columns show NULL. Sara Begum and Nila Akter do not appear because they are in the left table and have no matching orders in the right table.

Finding Orphaned Records

Just like LEFT JOIN can find customers without orders, a RIGHT JOIN can find orders that reference a non-existent customer:

-- Orders with no matching customer
SELECT o.id, o.amount, o.customer_id
FROM customers AS c
RIGHT JOIN orders AS o ON c.id = o.customer_id
WHERE c.id IS NULL;

RIGHT JOIN vs LEFT JOIN

A RIGHT JOIN can always be rewritten as a LEFT JOIN simply by swapping the table order. These two queries return identical results:

-- RIGHT JOIN
SELECT c.name, o.amount
FROM customers AS c
RIGHT JOIN orders AS o ON c.id = o.customer_id;

-- Equivalent LEFT JOIN (tables swapped)
SELECT c.name, o.amount
FROM orders AS o
LEFT JOIN customers AS c ON c.id = o.customer_id;

Key Points to Remember

• RIGHT JOIN returns all rows from the right table plus matched rows from the left.
• Unmatched left-side columns are filled with NULL.
• The right table is the one written after the RIGHT JOIN keyword.
• Any RIGHT JOIN can be rewritten as a LEFT JOIN by swapping the table positions.
• Use WHERE left_table.id IS NULL after a RIGHT JOIN to find orphaned records in the right table.