How to Include a LaTeX Table in R Markdown

R Markdown can include LaTeX table markup when you render the document to PDF. You can either write the table directly in the document or generate LaTeX from an R chunk. The key distinction is that LaTeX markup must reach the PDF renderer as markup, not be printed as ordinary code output.

Generate a LaTeX table from R

For tables built from R data, knitr::kable() can format a data frame as LaTeX. Set the chunk option results='asis' when you use cat() to emit its output. This tells knitr to pass the text through as markup.

Save the following as table.Rmd:

---
title: "A table in R Markdown"
output: pdf_document
header-includes:
  - \usepackage{booktabs}
---

```{r measurements, results='asis'}
measurements <- data.frame(
  Item = c("A", "B"),
  Value = c(12, 18)
)

cat(knitr::kable(
  measurements,
  format = "latex",
  booktabs = TRUE,
  caption = "Example measurements"
))
```

The YAML header selects PDF output and loads the booktabs package, which provides the \toprule, \midrule, and \bottomrule commands used for table rules. The chunk creates a data frame, converts it to a LaTeX table, and emits that table as-is. Render it with RStudio’s Knit button or by running rmarkdown::render("table.Rmd") in R. A LaTeX distribution must be installed for PDF rendering.

If you do not need to call cat(), you can often write knitr::kable(measurements) as the final expression in a chunk. Knitr recognizes the returned table object and chooses an output format based on the document. For a PDF-only document, specifying format = "latex" makes the desired format explicit.

Write a table directly in the document

For a fixed table, put the LaTeX environment in the R Markdown body outside an R code chunk. For example:

\begin{table}[ht]
\centering
\begin{tabular}{lr}
\toprule
Item & Value \\
\midrule
A & 12 \\
B & 18 \\
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\caption{Example measurements}
\end{table}

Pandoc passes raw LaTeX through when the target is LaTeX/PDF. In this table, {lr} specifies two columns, left-aligned and right-aligned; & separates cells, and \\ ends a row. The booktabs commands require the same package shown in the YAML header. You do not need to put a \documentclass or \begin{document} in an R Markdown file: Pandoc generates the LaTeX document around its contents.

If you want to test the table by itself, here is a complete minimal LaTeX file. It needs the booktabs package:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\begin{document}

\begin{table}[ht]
\centering
\begin{tabular}{lr}
\toprule
Item & Value \\
\midrule
A & 12 \\
B & 18 \\
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\caption{Example measurements}
\end{table}

\end{document}

Rendering to more than one format

Raw LaTeX is intended for LaTeX output. When you render the same R Markdown document to HTML or Word, LaTeX-specific markup may be omitted or fail to produce a table. If you need multiple output formats, use a format-aware table instead. For example, knitr::kable(measurements, caption = "Example measurements") normally selects a format appropriate to the output document. Packages such as kableExtra can add styling, but check their documentation for support in each format.

A raw-TeX table inside the document and LaTeX generated in a code chunk have the same format limitation. The chunk option results='asis' changes how knitr handles output; it does not convert LaTeX into HTML or Word markup.

Common mistakes

• Leaving out results='asis' when using cat(): The LaTeX can appear as literal text instead of becoming a table.
• Putting table markup in an ordinary code fence: A Markdown code block displays its contents; it does not compile them as LaTeX.
• Forgetting a required package: Commands such as \toprule need booktabs. Add the package to the LaTeX preamble with header-includes.
• Using raw LaTeX for an HTML report: Raw LaTeX is not a reliable way to create an HTML table. Use a format-aware table function for multi-format documents.
• Leaving special characters unescaped: In LaTeX table cells, characters such as %, _, &, and # have special meanings. Escape them when typing cell contents manually. knitr::kable() escapes content by default; turn escaping off only when you deliberately supply valid LaTeX.

If the PDF build fails, first check that a LaTeX distribution is installed, then look for missing package messages in the render log. If the PDF builds but shows the commands instead of a table, check whether the markup is in a code fence or whether chunk output needs results='asis'.