Percentage Calculator — Calculate Percentage Online (Free)
Percentage Calculator
Calculate percentages, percentage change, and discounts instantly.
What is a Percentage?
The word "percentage" comes from the Latin word per centum, which means "by the hundred." A percentage is simply a number expressed as a fraction of 100. It is denoted by the percent sign (%). For example, 50% is the same as 50/100, or 0.5.
Percentages are used everywhere in daily life — from calculating discounts during a sale to understanding bank interest rates, tax slabs, and even exam marks. This calculator helps you solve any percentage problem in seconds without having to remember the formulas.
How to use this Percentage Calculator
This tool has three different modes to solve the most common percentage problems:
- What is X% of Y? Use this to find the exact value. For example, if a shirt costs 1,000 and there is a 20% discount, you enter 20 and 1000 to find the discount amount (200).
- X is what % of Y? Use this to find the ratio. For example, if you scored 450 marks out of 500, enter 450 and 500 to find out you scored 90%.
- Percentage Increase/Decrease: Use this to find the change between two numbers. For example, if your salary increased from 30,000 to 35,000, this will tell you it increased by 16.67%.
The Percentage Formulas
If you ever need to calculate it manually, here are the formulas used by this tool:
1. Finding the Percentage of a Number
Formula: (Percentage × Number) ÷ 100
Example: What is 15% of 200?
(15 × 200) ÷ 100 = 3000 ÷ 100 = 30
2. Finding What Percent One Number is of Another
Formula: (Number 1 ÷ Number 2) × 100
Example: 40 is what percent of 160?
(40 ÷ 160) × 100 = 0.25 × 100 = 25%
3. Finding Percentage Increase or Decrease
Formula: [(New Value - Old Value) ÷ Old Value] × 100
Example: Price went from 500 to 600.
[(600 - 500) ÷ 500] × 100 = (100 ÷ 500) × 100 = 20% Increase
Real-life uses of percentages
- Shopping Discounts: If a store offers "Flat 40% Off" on a 1,500 jacket, the calculator tells you the price drops by 600, making it 900.
- Bank Interest: Fixed Deposits (FDs) and Recurring Deposits (RDs) advertise returns in percentages (e.g., 7.5% p.a.).
- Taxes: GST is charged as a percentage (5%, 12%, 18%, 28%).
- Exams and Results: Your final grade is a percentage of the total marks.
- Tips at Restaurants: Tipping 10% to 15% of the bill is a standard practice in many countries.
Quick tricks to calculate percentages in your head
- The 10% rule: To find 10% of any number, just move the decimal point one place to the left. (10% of 250 is 25).
- Reverse it: X% of Y is always the same as Y% of X. So, 8% of 50 is the same as 50% of 8 (which is 4).
- Divide by fractions: 25% is 1/4th (divide by 4). 50% is half (divide by 2). 20% is 1/5th (divide by 5).
Frequently asked questions
Can percentages be greater than 100?
Yes. A 100% increase means the value has doubled. A 200% increase means it has tripled. If a company's profit goes from 1 lakh to 3 lakhs, that is a 200% increase.
How do I calculate GST or tax using this?
To add 18% GST to a product, use the first calculator to find 18% of the price, and then add that amount to the original price. Or, multiply the price by 1.18.
What is the difference between percentage and percentile?
Percentage is a fraction of 100. Percentile is a ranking system — if you are in the 90th percentile, it means you scored better than 90% of the people who took the test.
Why is the percentage increase from 50 to 100 a 100% increase, but the decrease from 100 to 50 is only a 50% decrease?
Because the base value changes. When you go from 50 to 100, you added 50, which is 100% of the original 50. But when you go from 100 to 50, you removed 50, which is only 50% of the original 100.
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