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Percentage Calculator
Work out percentages, increases, decreases and differences instantly.
Every percentage question, without the mental arithmetic
Percentages come up constantly — a discount at the till, a tip, a tax line, a pay rise, a grade, a month-over-month change in a report. The arithmetic is not hard, but it is easy to get backwards, and the most common mistake is confusing “20% of” with “20% off” or treating a percentage-point change as a percentage change.
This calculator handles the three questions that cover almost every real situation: what is X% of a number, what percentage is one number of another, and what is the percentage change between two numbers. Enter the figures and the answer appears; no formula to remember and nothing to get the wrong way round.
Running a percentage calculation
- Choose the type of calculation you need from the options above.
- To find a percentage of a value, enter the percentage and the value — for example 15% of 240.
- To express one number as a percentage of another, enter both numbers in the order given.
- To find a percentage change, enter the original value first and the new value second.
- Read the result, which updates as soon as both fields are filled.
The calculations it covers
- Percentage of a number — the classic case — discounts, tips, commission and tax.
- One number as a percentage of another — scores, completion rates and shares of a total.
- Percentage increase — how much something grew, from a pay rise to a price rise.
- Percentage decrease — how much something fell, from a sale price to a drop in traffic.
- Percentage difference — the change between two values when neither is obviously the baseline.
- Decimal precision — results are given with enough decimal places to be useful rather than rounded into uselessness.
Three examples worked through
- A jacket costs 240 and is reduced by 30%. The discount is 72, so you pay 168.
- You scored 47 out of 60 on a test. That is 78.33%.
- Traffic went from 1,200 visits to 1,560. That is a 30% increase.
- A price fell from 80 to 68. That is a 15% decrease.
- A bill is 84 and you want to leave 12.5%. The tip is 10.50.
Percentage questions
How do I calculate a percentage of a number by hand?
Divide the percentage by 100 and multiply. For 15% of 240: 15 ÷ 100 = 0.15, and 0.15 × 240 = 36. The same method works for any percentage, including those above 100.
What is the difference between percentage change and percentage points?
If a rate rises from 4% to 6%, that is an increase of two percentage points but a 50% increase in relative terms. Reports frequently confuse the two, and the difference can be dramatic.
Why is a 50% rise followed by a 50% fall not back where I started?
Because each percentage applies to a different base. 100 increased by 50% is 150; 150 reduced by 50% is 75, not 100. The fall is calculated on the larger number.
How do I reverse a percentage to find the original price?
Divide by one plus the rate. If a price including 20% tax is 120, the pre-tax figure is 120 ÷ 1.2 = 100. Subtracting 20% from 120 gives 96, which is wrong.
Can a percentage be more than 100?
Yes. 150% of 40 is 60. Percentages above 100 simply mean more than the whole, which is normal when describing growth.
