🧮 Percentage Calculator

What is a Percentage?

A percentage is a number or ratio expressed as a fraction of 100. The word "percent" comes from the Latin "per centum" meaning "by the hundred." Percentages are used to express how large or small one quantity is relative to another quantity.

Our free percentage calculator helps you perform various percentage calculations instantly, including finding percentages, calculating increases and decreases, and determining percentage differences between values.

How to Calculate Percentages

1. What is X% of Y: Multiply Y by X and divide by 100. Example: 10% of 100 = (100 × 10) / 100 = 10
2. X is what % of Y: Divide X by Y and multiply by 100. Example: 10 is what % of 100? = (10 / 100) × 100 = 10%
3. Percentage Increase: ((New Value - Old Value) / Old Value) × 100
4. Percentage Decrease: ((Old Value - New Value) / Old Value) × 100
5. Percentage Difference: (|Value1 - Value2| / ((Value1 + Value2) / 2)) × 100

Percentage Calculation Examples

Example 1: Shopping Discount

A shirt costs $50 and is on sale for 20% off. What's the discount amount?

• Original Price: $50
• Discount: 20%
• Calculation: 20% of 50 = (50 × 20) / 100 = $10
• Final Price: $50 - $10 = $40

Example 2: Salary Increase

Your salary increased from $40,000 to $45,000. What's the percentage increase?

• Old Salary: $40,000
• New Salary: $45,000
• Calculation: ((45,000 - 40,000) / 40,000) × 100 = 12.5%
• Result: 12.5% salary increase

Example 3: Test Score

You scored 85 out of 100 on a test. What's your percentage score?

• Score: 85
• Total: 100
• Calculation: (85 / 100) × 100 = 85%
• Result: 85% score

Percentage Formulas

Basic Percentage Formula

Percentage = (Part / Whole) × 100

Common Percentage Calculations

• Find X% of Y: (Y × X) / 100
• Find what % X is of Y: (X / Y) × 100
• Percentage Increase: ((New - Old) / Old) × 100
• Percentage Decrease: ((Old - New) / Old) × 100
• Percentage Change: ((New - Old) / |Old|) × 100
• Percentage Difference: (|A - B| / ((A + B) / 2)) × 100

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate percentage increase?

Subtract the original value from the new value, divide by the original value, and multiply by 100. Formula: ((New - Old) / Old) × 100

What's the difference between percentage increase and percentage difference?

Percentage increase compares to the original value (directional), while percentage difference compares to the average of both values (non-directional).

Can percentages be negative?

Yes, negative percentages represent decreases or losses. For example, a -10% change means a 10% decrease.

How do I calculate percentage of a percentage?

Convert both percentages to decimals, multiply them, then convert back to percentage. Example: 50% of 20% = 0.5 × 0.2 = 0.1 = 10%

What is 100% of a number?

100% of any number is the number itself. For example, 100% of 50 is 50.

How do I add or subtract percentages?

Convert percentages to their decimal equivalents, perform the calculation, then convert back. Example: 20% + 30% = 0.20 + 0.30 = 0.50 = 50%

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