What is clustering evaluation and how is it performed?

Updated May 15, 2026

Short answer

It measures how well clustering algorithms group similar data points.

Deep explanation

Since clustering is unsupervised, evaluation relies on internal metrics like Silhouette Score, Davies-Bouldin Index, and external metrics if labels exist. Good clustering has high intra-cluster similarity and low inter-cluster similarity.

Real-world example

Evaluating customer segmentation quality in marketing analytics.

Common mistakes

  • Using accuracy for clustering without labels.

Follow-up questions

  • What is silhouette score?
  • What is DB index?

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