diff --git a/Mathlib.lean b/Mathlib.lean
index 7e13b060feead6..be0b5ee3e07eda 100644
--- a/Mathlib.lean
+++ b/Mathlib.lean
@@ -3443,6 +3443,7 @@ public import Mathlib.Combinatorics.Enumerative.Schroder
 public import Mathlib.Combinatorics.Enumerative.Stirling
 public import Mathlib.Combinatorics.Extremal.RuzsaSzemeredi
 public import Mathlib.Combinatorics.Graph.Basic
+public import Mathlib.Combinatorics.Graph.Connected.Component
 public import Mathlib.Combinatorics.Graph.Delete
 public import Mathlib.Combinatorics.Graph.Subgraph
 public import Mathlib.Combinatorics.HalesJewett
diff --git a/Mathlib/Combinatorics/Graph/Connected/Component.lean b/Mathlib/Combinatorics/Graph/Connected/Component.lean
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..91f5438b45cd66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Mathlib/Combinatorics/Graph/Connected/Component.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2026 Peter Nelson. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Peter Nelson, Jun Kwon
+-/
+module
+
+public import Mathlib.Order.Minimal
+public import Mathlib.Combinatorics.Graph.Subgraph
+
+/-!
+# Connected components of graphs
+
+This file defines predicate for being a connected component of a graph and the notion of a
+connected graph.
+
+## Main definitions
+
+* `IsConnectedComponentOf H G`: `H` is a connected component of `G` if `H` is a minimal nonempty
+  closed subgraph of `G`.
+* `Connected G`: `G` is connected if `G` is a connected component of itself. In particular, the
+  empty graph is not connected.
+
+-/
+
+public section
+
+variable {α β : Type*} {G H K : Graph α β}
+
+namespace Graph
+
+/-! ### Connected components -/
+
+/-- A connected component of `G` is a minimal nonempty closed subgraph of `G`. -/
+@[expose] def IsConnectedComponentOf (H G : Graph α β) : Prop :=
+  Minimal (fun H ↦ H ≤c G ∧ V(H).Nonempty) H
+
+namespace IsConnectedComponentOf
+
+@[simp] lemma isClosedSubgraph (h : H.IsConnectedComponentOf G) : H ≤c G := h.prop.1
+lemma isInducedSubgraph (h : H.IsConnectedComponentOf G) : H ≤i G :=
+  h.isClosedSubgraph.isInducedSubgraph
+@[simp] lemma le (h : H.IsConnectedComponentOf G) : H ≤ G := h.isClosedSubgraph.le
+@[grind →] lemma nonempty (h : H.IsConnectedComponentOf G) : V(H).Nonempty := h.prop.2
+
+lemma anti_right (hKH : K ≤ H) (hHG : H ≤ G) (h : K.IsConnectedComponentOf G) :
+    K.IsConnectedComponentOf H :=
+  ⟨⟨h.isClosedSubgraph.anti_right hKH hHG, h.nonempty⟩, fun _ ⟨hK'H, hK'ne⟩ hK'K ↦
+    h.le_of_le ⟨(hK'H.anti_right hK'K hKH).trans h.isClosedSubgraph, hK'ne⟩ hK'K⟩
+
+end IsConnectedComponentOf
+
+/-! ### Connectedness -/
+
+/-- A graph is connected if it is a connected component of itself (`G.IsConnectedComponentOf G`). -/
+@[expose] protected def Connected (G : Graph α β) : Prop := G.IsConnectedComponentOf G
+
+lemma Connected.nonempty (hG : G.Connected) : V(G).Nonempty := IsConnectedComponentOf.nonempty hG
+
+@[simp]
+lemma not_connected_bot : ¬ (⊥ : Graph α β).Connected := by
+  rintro h
+  simpa using h.nonempty
+
+lemma connected_iff_forall_closed (hG : V(G).Nonempty) :
+    G.Connected ↔ ∀ ⦃H⦄, H ≤c G → V(H).Nonempty → H = G := by
+  refine ⟨fun h H hHG hHne ↦ ?_, fun h ↦ ⟨by simpa, fun H ⟨hle, hH⟩ _ ↦ (h hle hH).symm.le⟩⟩
+  rw [Graph.Connected] at h
+  exact h.eq_of_le ⟨hHG, hHne⟩ hHG.le
+
+lemma connected_iff_forall_closed_ge (hG : V(G).Nonempty) :
+    G.Connected ↔ ∀ ⦃H⦄, H ≤c G → V(H).Nonempty → G ≤ H := by
+  rw [connected_iff_forall_closed hG]
+  exact ⟨fun h H hle hne ↦ (h hle hne).symm.le, fun h H hle hne ↦ (h hle hne).antisymm' hle.le⟩
+
+lemma Connected.ext_of_isClosedSubgraph (hH : H ≤c G) (hne : V(H).Nonempty) (hG : G.Connected) :
+    H = G := by
+  rw [connected_iff_forall_closed (hne.mono hH.le.vertexSet_mono)] at hG
+  exact hG hH hne
+
+lemma IsConnectedComponentOf.Connected (h : H.IsConnectedComponentOf G) : H.Connected :=
+  h.anti_right le_rfl h.le
+
+lemma Connected.exists_inc_notMem_of_lt (hlt : H < G) (hne : V(H).Nonempty) (hG : G.Connected) :
+    ∃ e x, G.Inc e x ∧ e ∉ E(H) ∧ x ∈ V(H) := by
+  refine by_contra fun hcon ↦ hlt.ne <| hG.ext_of_isClosedSubgraph ?_ hne
+  refine IsClosedSubgraph.mk' hlt.le fun e x hex hx ↦ ?_
+  simp only [not_exists, not_and, not_imp_not] at hcon
+  exact hcon _ _ hex hx
+
+end Graph