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Factorial Program in Java - Recursive & Iterative

Calculate factorial of a number in Java. Examples using for loop and recursion.

Last updated: 11 January 2026

Method 1: Using For Loop

Iterative approach.

public class Factorial {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int num = 5;
        long factorial = 1;
        
        for(int i = 1; i <= num; ++i) {
            factorial *= i;
        }
        
        System.out.printf("Factorial of %d = %d", num, factorial);
    }
}
Output:
Factorial of 5 = 120

Explanation

We multiply numbers from 1 to n. 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 = 120.

Method 2: Using Recursion

Recursive approach.

public class Factorial {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int num = 5;
        long factorial = multiplyNumbers(num);
        System.out.println("Factorial of " + num + " = " + factorial);
    }
    
    public static long multiplyNumbers(int num) {
        if (num >= 1)
            return num * multiplyNumbers(num - 1);
        else
            return 1;
    }
}
Output:
Factorial of 5 = 120

Explanation

Function calls itself: 5 * fact(4) -> 5 * 4 * fact(3) ...

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