What data type does the result of the input() function return?

The result of the input() function in Python is always a string. When this function is called, it prompts the user to enter some data through the console. Regardless of whether the user types a number or any other character, the input is captured as a string format. For example, if a user inputs 123, the function returns '123', which is a string, not an integer. This behavior is crucial to understand, especially when you intend to perform arithmetic operations, as you will need to convert the string to the appropriate numeric type (like int or float) for calculations. Knowing that input() returns a string allows developers to correctly handle user input in their programs.