Map<String, String> map = ...
for (Map.Entry<String, String> entry : map.entrySet()) {
    System.out.println(entry.getKey() + "/" + entry.getValue());
}

On Java 10+:

for (var entry : map.entrySet()) {
    System.out.println(entry.getKey() + "/" + entry.getValue());
}

Yes, the order depends on the specific Map implementation.

@ScArcher2 has the more elegant Java 1.5 syntax. In 1.4, I would do something like this:

Iterator entries = myMap.entrySet().iterator();
while (entries.hasNext()) {
  Entry thisEntry = (Entry) entries.next();
  Object key = thisEntry.getKey();
  Object value = thisEntry.getValue();
  // ...
}

Typical code for iterating over a map is:

Map<String,Thing> map = ...;
for (Map.Entry<String,Thing> entry : map.entrySet()) {
    String key = entry.getKey();
    Thing thing = entry.getValue();
    ...
}

HashMap is the canonical map implementation and doesn't make guarantees (or though it should not change the order if no mutating operations are performed on it). SortedMap will return entries based on the natural ordering of the keys, or a Comparator, if provided. LinkedHashMap will either return entries in insertion-order or access-order depending upon how it has been constructed. EnumMap returns entries in the natural order of keys.

(Update: I think this is no longer true.) Note, IdentityHashMap entrySet iterator currently has a peculiar implementation which returns the same Map.Entry instance for every item in the entrySet! However, every time a new iterator advances the Map.Entry is updated.

This is a two part question:

How to iterate over the entries of a Map - @ScArcher2 has answered that perfectly.

What is the order of iteration - if you are just using Map, then strictly speaking, there are no ordering guarantees. So you shouldn't really rely on the ordering given by any implementation. However, the SortedMap interface extends Map and provides exactly what you are looking for - implementations will aways give a consistent sort order.

NavigableMap is another useful extension - this is a SortedMap with additional methods for finding entries by their ordered position in the key set. So potentially this can remove the need for iterating in the first place - you might be able to find the specific entry you are after using the higherEntry, lowerEntry, ceilingEntry, or floorEntry methods. The descendingMap method even gives you an explicit method of reversing the traversal order.

FYI, you can also use map.keySet() and map.values() if you're only interested in keys/values of the map and not the other.

The correct way to do this is to use the accepted answer as it is the most efficient. I find the following code looks a bit cleaner.

for (String key: map.keySet()) {
   System.out.println(key + "/" + map.get(key));
}

With Java 8, you can iterate Map using forEach and lambda expression,

map.forEach((k, v) -> System.out.println((k + ":" + v)));

In theory, the most efficient way will depend on which implementation of Map. The official way to do this is to call map.entrySet(), which returns a set of Map.Entry, each of which contains a key and a value (entry.getKey() and entry.getValue()).

In an idiosyncratic implementation, it might make some difference whether you use map.keySet(), map.entrySet() or something else. But I can't think of a reason why anyone would write it like that. Most likely it makes no difference to performance what you do.

And yes, the order will depend on the implementation - as well as (possibly) the order of insertion and other hard-to-control factors.

[edit] I wrote valueSet() originally but of course entrySet() is actually the answer.

Try this with Java 1.4:

for( Iterator entries = myMap.entrySet().iterator(); entries.hasNext();){

  Entry entry = (Entry) entries.next();

  System.out.println(entry.getKey() + "/" + entry.getValue());

  //...
}

The ordering will always depend on the specific map implementation. Using Java 8 you can use either of these:

map.forEach((k,v) -> { System.out.println(k + ":" + v); });

Or:

map.entrySet().forEach((e) -> {
            System.out.println(e.getKey() + " : " + e.getValue());
        });

The result will be the same (same order). The entrySet backed by the map so you are getting the same order. The second one is handy as it allows you to use lambdas, e.g. if you want only to print only Integer objects that are greater than 5:

map.entrySet()
    .stream()
    .filter(e-> e.getValue() > 5)
    .forEach(System.out::println);

The code below shows iteration through LinkedHashMap and normal HashMap (example). You will see difference in the order:

public class HMIteration {


    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Map<Object, Object> linkedHashMap = new LinkedHashMap<>();
        Map<Object, Object> hashMap = new HashMap<>();

        for (int i=10; i>=0; i--) {
            linkedHashMap.put(i, i);
            hashMap.put(i, i);
        }

        System.out.println("LinkedHashMap (1): ");
        linkedHashMap.forEach((k,v) -> { System.out.print(k + " (#="+k.hashCode() + "):" + v + ", "); });

        System.out.println("\nLinkedHashMap (2): ");

        linkedHashMap.entrySet().forEach((e) -> {
            System.out.print(e.getKey() + " : " + e.getValue() + ", ");
        });


        System.out.println("\n\nHashMap (1): ");
        hashMap.forEach((k,v) -> { System.out.print(k + " (#:"+k.hashCode() + "):" + v + ", "); });

        System.out.println("\nHashMap (2): ");

        hashMap.entrySet().forEach((e) -> {
            System.out.print(e.getKey() + " : " + e.getValue() + ", ");
        });
    }
}

Output:

LinkedHashMap (1):
10 (#=10):10, 9 (#=9):9, 8 (#=8):8, 7 (#=7):7, 6 (#=6):6, 5 (#=5):5, 4 (#=4):4, 3 (#=3):3, 2 (#=2):2, 1 (#=1):1, 0 (#=0):0,
LinkedHashMap (2):
10 : 10, 9 : 9, 8 : 8, 7 : 7, 6 : 6, 5 : 5, 4 : 4, 3 : 3, 2 : 2, 1 : 1, 0 : 0,
HashMap (1):
0 (#:0):0, 1 (#:1):1, 2 (#:2):2, 3 (#:3):3, 4 (#:4):4, 5 (#:5):5, 6 (#:6):6, 7 (#:7):7, 8 (#:8):8, 9 (#:9):9, 10 (#:10):10,
HashMap (2):
0 : 0, 1 : 1, 2 : 2, 3 : 3, 4 : 4, 5 : 5, 6 : 6, 7 : 7, 8 : 8, 9 : 9, 10 : 10,

If I have an object implementing the Map interface in Java and I wish to iterate over every pair contained within it, what is the most efficient way of going through the map?

If efficiency of looping the keys is a priority for your app, then choose a Map implementation that maintains the keys in your desired order.

Will the ordering of elements depend on the specific map implementation that I have for the interface?

Yes, absolutely.

• Some Map implementations promise a certain iteration order, others do not.
• Different implementations of Map maintain different ordering of the key-value pairs.

See this table I created summarizing the various Map implementations bundled with Java 11. Specifically, notice the iteration order column. Click/tap to zoom.

You can see there are four Map implementations maintaining an order:

• TreeMap
• ConcurrentSkipListMap
• LinkedHashMap
• EnumMap

NavigableMap interface

Two of those implement the NavigableMap interface: TreeMap & ConcurrentSkipListMap.

The older SortedMap interface is effectively supplanted by the newer NavigableMap interface. But you may find 3rd-party implementations implementing the older interface only.

Natural order

If you want a Map that keeps its pairs arranged by the “natural order” of the key, use TreeMap or ConcurrentSkipListMap. The term “natural order” means the class of the keys implements Comparable. The value returned by the compareTo method is used for comparison in sorting.

Custom order

If you want to specify a custom sorting routine for your keys to be used in maintaining a sorted order, pass a Comparator implementation appropriate to the class of your keys. Use either TreeMap or ConcurrentSkipListMap, passing your Comparator.

Original insertion order

If you want the pairs of your map to be kept in their original order in which you inserted them into the map, use LinkedHashMap.

Enum-definition order

If you are using an enum such as DayOfWeek or Month as your keys, use the EnumMap class. Not only is this class highly optimized to use very little memory and run very fast, it maintains your pairs in the order defined by the enum. For DayOfWeek, for example, the key of DayOfWeek.MONDAY will be first found when iterated, and the key of DayOfWeek.SUNDAY will be last.

Other considerations

In choosing a Map implementation, also consider:

• NULLs. Some implementations forbid/accept a NULL as key and/or value.
• Concurrency. If you are manipulating the map across threads, you must use an implementation that supports concurrency. Or wrap the map with Collections::synchronizedMap (less preferable).

Both of these considerations are covered in the graphic table above.

If you have a generic untyped Map you can use:

Map map = new HashMap();
for (Map.Entry entry : ((Set<Map.Entry>) map.entrySet())) {
    System.out.println(entry.getKey() + "/" + entry.getValue());
}

An effective iterative solution over a Map is a for loop from Java 5 through Java 7. Here it is:

for (String key : phnMap.keySet()) {
    System.out.println("Key: " + key + " Value: " + phnMap.get(key));
}

From Java 8 you can use a lambda expression to iterate over a Map. It is an enhanced forEach

phnMap.forEach((k,v) -> System.out.println("Key: " + k + " Value: " + v));

If you want to write a conditional for lambda you can write it like this:

phnMap.forEach((k,v)->{
    System.out.println("Key: " + k + " Value: " + v);
    if("abc".equals(k)){
        System.out.println("Hello abc");
    }
});

These are all the possible ways of iterating HashMap.

HashMap<Integer,String> map=new HashMap<Integer,String>();
    map.put(1,"David");  //Adding elements in Map
    map.put(2,"John");
    map.put(4,"Samyuktha");
    map.put(3,"jasmin");
    System.out.println("Iterating Hashmap...");

    //way 1 (java 8 Method)
    map.forEach((key, value) -> {
        System.out.println(key+" : "+ value);
    });

    //way 2 (java 7 Method)
    for(Map.Entry me : map.entrySet()){
        System.out.println(me.getKey()+" "+me.getValue());
    }

    //way 3 (Legacy way to iterate HashMap)
    Iterator iterator = map.entrySet().iterator();//map.keySet().iterator()
    while (iterator.hasNext())
    {
        Map.Entry me =(Map.Entry)iterator.next();
        System.out.println(me.getKey()+" : "+ me.getValue());
    }
    
}

Iterating a Map is very easy.

for(Object key: map.keySet()){
   Object value= map.get(key);
   //Do your stuff
}

For instance, you have a Map<String, int> data;

for(Object key: data.keySet()){
  int value= data.get(key);
}

There are a lot of ways to do this. Below is a few simple steps:

Suppose you have one Map like:

Map<String, Integer> m = new HashMap<String, Integer>();

Then you can do something like the below to iterate over map elements.

// ********** Using an iterator ****************
Iterator<Entry<String, Integer>> me = m.entrySet().iterator();
while(me.hasNext()){
    Entry<String, Integer> pair = me.next();
    System.out.println(pair.getKey() + ":" + pair.getValue());
}

// *********** Using foreach ************************
for(Entry<String, Integer> me : m.entrySet()){
    System.out.println(me.getKey() + " : " + me.getValue());
}

// *********** Using keySet *****************************
for(String s : m.keySet()){
    System.out.println(s + " : " + m.get(s));
}

// *********** Using keySet and iterator *****************
Iterator<String> me = m.keySet().iterator();
while(me.hasNext()){
    String key = me.next();
    System.out.println(key + " : " + m.get(key));
}

Map.forEach

What about simply using Map::forEach where both the key and the value are passed to your BiConsumer?

map.forEach((k,v)->{
    System.out.println(k+"->"+v);
});

Since Java 10, you can use local variable inference (a.k.a. "var") to make a lot of the already available answers less bloated. For example:

for (var entry : map.entrySet()) {
    System.out.println(entry.getKey() + " : " + entry.getValue());
}

I like to concat a counter, then save the final value of the counter;

int counter = 0;
HashMap<String, String> m = new HashMap<String, String>();
for(int i = 0;i<items.length;i++)
{
m.put("firstname"+i, items.get(i).getFirstName());
counter = i;
}

m.put("recordCount",String.valueOf(counter));

Then when you want to retrieve:

int recordCount = Integer.parseInf(m.get("recordCount"));
for(int i =0 ;i<recordCount;i++)
{
System.out.println("First Name :" + m.get("firstname"+i));
}

Using Java 7

Map<String,String> sampleMap = new HashMap<>();
for (sampleMap.Entry<String,String> entry : sampleMap.entrySet()) {
    String key = entry.getKey();
    String value = entry.getValue();

    /* your Code as per the Business Justification  */

}

Using Java 8

Map<String,String> sampleMap = new HashMap<>();

sampleMap.forEach((k, v) -> System.out.println("Key is :  " + k + " Value is :  " + v));

You can search for the key and with the help of the key you can find the associated value of the map as map has unique key, see what happens when key is duplicate here or here.

Demo map :

 Map<String, String> map = new HashMap();
  map.put("name", "Name");
  map.put("age", "23");
  map.put("address", "NP");
  map.put("faculty", "BE");
  map.put("major", "CS");
  map.put("head", "MDK");
 

To get key only, you can use map.keySet(); like this :

for(String key : map.keySet()) {
      System.out.println(key);
  }

To get value only , you can use map.values(); like this:

      for(String value : map.values()) {
      System.out.println(value);
  }

To get both key and its value you still can use map.keySet(); and get its corresponding value, like this :

 //this prints the key value pair
  for (String k : map.keySet()) {
        System.out.println(k + " " + map.get(k) + " ");
    }

map.get(key) gives the value pointed by that key.

Map<String, String> map = 
for (Map.Entry<String, String> entry : map.entrySet()) {
    MapKey = entry.getKey() 
    MapValue = entry.getValue();
}