How Do I Calculate Percentage In Excel

Excel provides you different means to calculate percentages. For instance, yous can use Excel to calculate the percentage of correct answers on a test, discount prices using diverse per centum assumptions, or per centum change between 2 values. Calculating a percent in Excel is an like shooting fish in a barrel ii-step process. First, y'all format the cell to indicate the value is a percent, and then you build the percent formula in a cell.

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Format values as percentages

To show a number as a per centum in Excel, y'all need to utilise the Percentage format to the cells. Merely select the cells to format, and so click thePercent Style (%) button in theNumber group on the ribbon's Home tab. You tin and so increase (or subtract) the the decimical identify as needed. (Run across Rounding issues below for more data.)

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In Excel, the underlying value is always stored in decimal form. So, fifty-fifty if y'all've used number formatting to display something as a pct (10%), that's just what it is—formatting, or a symbolic representation of the underlying value. Excel ever performs calculations on that underlying value, which is a decimal (0.1). To double-check the underlying value, select the jail cell, printing Ctrl + 1, and expect in theSample box on theFull general category.

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Here are a few things to keep in listen when formatting percentages:

Format existing values—When you lot apply percentage formatting to a cell that already has a number in it, Excel multiplies that number by 100 and adds the % sign at the end. So for example, if you blazon10 into prison cell A2 and then apply the percent number format, Excel will multiply your number by 100 to show it every bit a percent (call up that 1% is one function of ane hundred), so yous'll see1000% displayed in the prison cell, not10%. To go around this, you tin summate your numbers equally percentages get-go.

For example, if you type the formula=10/100 in prison cell A2, Excel will brandish the issue as0.ane. If you then format that decimal every bit a percentage, the number will be displayed as10%, as yous 'd expect. You tin likewise just type the number in its decimal form direct into the cell—that is, type0.1 and and then apply per centum format.

Rounding problems—Sometimes what you meet in a cell (e.g., 10%) doesn't lucifer the number you expected to see (e.g., 9.75%). To run into the true percentage in the cell, rather than a rounded version, increase the decimal places. Again, Excel always uses the underlying value to perform calculations.

Format empty cells—Excel behaves differently when you lot pre-format empty cells with percentage formatting andthen enter numbers. Numbers equal to and larger than 1 are converted to percentages past default; numbers smaller than 1 that are not preceded with a aught are multiplied by 100 to convert them to percentages. For instance, if you type10 or.1 in a preformatted cell, you'll run into ten% appear in the cell. Now, if you blazon 0.ane in the prison cell, Excel will render 0% or 0.x% depending on the decimal setting.

Format as you blazon—If you lot type10% directly in the cell, Excel will automatically apply percent formatting. This is useful when you desire to type just a unmarried percentage on your worksheet, such as a tax or committee charge per unit.

Negative percentages—If you want negative percentages to be formatted differently—for case, to appear as cerise text or within parentheses—you can create a custom number format such every bit0.00%;[Blood-red]-0.00%or 0.00%_);(0.00%).

Calculating percentages

Every bit with whatsoever formula in Excel, you need to get-go past typing an equal sign (=) in the cell where you want your event, followed by the rest of the formula. The bones formula for computing a per centum is =office/total.

In the instance beneath, Bodily Points/Possible Points = Grade %:

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Say you want to reduce a particular corporeality past 25%, like when you're trying to apply a discount. Here, the formula will be: =Price*ane-Disbelieve %. (Call back of the "1" equally a stand-in for 100%.)

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To increase the amount by 25%, simply replace the minus sign in the formula to a higher place with a plus sign.

The next case is slightly more complicated. Say the earnings for your department are $2,342 in November and $2,500 in December and yous want to find the percentage alter in earnings between these 2 months. To discover the reply, split up the difference between December and November earnings ($158) by the value of the November earning ($two,342).

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