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Percentage calculator

The six most common percentage calculations. Every result shows the full working, so it is clear what the percentage is taken from.

What is X percent of a number?

%
345.00 1,500 × 23 / 100 = 345 more precisely: 345

What percent is one number of another?

30.00% 450 / 1,500 × 100 = 30% more precisely: 30

Increase or decrease by a percentage

%
212.50 250 − 15% = 250 − 37.5 = 212.5 more precisely: 212.5

Percentage difference between two numbers

25.00% (125 − 100) / 100 × 100 = 25% more precisely: 25

Value before the percentage change

%
200.00 170 / (1 − 15 / 100) = 200 more precisely: 200

Compound growth

%
16,288.95 10,000 × (1 + 5 / 100)^10 = 16,288.946268 more precisely: 16,288.946268

How to get percentages right

A percent is one hundredth of a whole, so “23% of 1500” means splitting 1500 into a hundred parts and taking twenty-three of them: 1500 × 23 / 100 = 345. The trouble starts when it is unclear what the whole is.

An increase and a decrease by the same percentage do not cancel out. A hundred raised by 10% is 110, and 110 cut by 10% leaves 99, not 100 — because the second percentage is taken from the larger figure.

Do not confuse percent with percentage points. A rate going from 5% to 7% rises by 2 percentage points, but by 40 percent. In writing about interest and margins that difference changes the meaning of a sentence.

The results are provided for guidance only. Always verify figures before using them in official documents.

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