How to Calculate Percentage?

Last Updated : 04 Dec, 2024

Percentage is a way to express a number as a fraction of 100. It shows how much something is in relation to a total.

For example, if you have 20 out of 100 apples, you have 20% of the apples. The symbol "%" means "per hundred." So, 20% means 20 out of every 100.

There are many formulas for calculating percentage problems. but we can think of the most basic as:

Percentage = (Part/Total) × 100

Let's say you scored 45 out of 50 on a test, and you want to know your percentage.

Percentage Score = (45/50) × 100 = 90%

So, your score is 90%.

Example: Convert 0.76 into the percentage.

Solution:

0.76 = 0.76/1
0.76 = 76/100
0.76 = 76 %

How To Calculate Percentage when Total is 100?

If the total value in any scenario adds up to 100 then calculating the percentage is very easy as the number (in the numerator of the value) itself represent the percentage and the % symbol is added.

Example: Suppose in the election of a class representative if student A got 69 votes and student B got 31 votes then find the percentage of votes A got.

Solution:

Total votes = 69 + 31 = 100
A got votes = 69
Votes of A (in percentage) = 69/100 = 69%

How To Calculate Percentage when Total is NOT 100?

If the total value in any scenario does not add up to 100 then the percentage is calculated by making the total 100 in the fraction and then the numerator values become the percentage.

Example: Suppose Kabir got 6 blue balls, 8 red balls, and 6 yellow balls the percentage of red balls he has?

Solution:

Total balls = red balls + blue balls + yellow balls
= 8 + 6 + 6 = 20 balls
Red balls = 8 balls
Percentage of red balls = 8/20
= (8/20) × (5/5) = 40/100 = 40%

How to Calculate Percentage of a Number?

To calculate percentage of a number, we can use the following steps:

Identify the part and the whole: The part is the portion you are comparing, and the whole is the total.
Divide the part by the whole: This gives you a decimal.
Multiply by 100: This converts the decimal into a percentage.

Let's consider an example for better understanding.