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What is a percentage?

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Quick answer

A percentage is a way of expressing a number as a part of 100. The word means 'per hundred', so 50% means 50 out of 100, or one half. Percentages make it easy to compare proportions — like scores, discounts, and statistics.

Key things to understand

  1. 'Per cent' means 'per hundred', so a percentage is a fraction out of 100.
  2. 50% = 50/100 = ½ = 0.5 — three ways of writing the same amount.
  3. To find a percentage of a number, multiply: 20% of 50 = 0.20 × 50 = 10.
  4. Percentages let you compare proportions fairly, even when the totals differ.
  5. They're everywhere: test scores, discounts, interest rates, battery levels.

People also ask

What does percent mean?
'Per cent' literally means 'per hundred'. So 25% means 25 out of every 100 — a quarter of the whole.
How do you calculate a percentage of a number?
Convert the percentage to a decimal and multiply. For 30% of 80: 0.30 × 80 = 24.
How are percentages, fractions, and decimals related?
They're three ways of writing the same value. 50% = ½ = 0.5; 25% = ¼ = 0.25. You can convert freely between them.
How do you convert a fraction to a percentage?
Divide the top by the bottom and multiply by 100 (3/4 = 0.75 = 75%).