Percentage Formula: How to Calculate in Excel, Examples and Download PDF

Percentage Formula: Check the concept of percentage with percentage formula for grades 5,6,7,8 of CBSE, ICSE, UP and other boards. Understand how to Calculate Percentage in Excel along with Solved questions and examples here.

Percentage Formula: Percentages are a fundamental concept in maths, used frequently in daily life. It represents parts of a whole as fractions of 100. They’re symbolised by the “%” symbol. Understanding percentages is crucial for informed decision-making in our data-driven world. Used in finance, science, and more, percentages help compare proportions. They’re vital for data analysis, like calculating test scores or population growth. For example, a 20% discount on groceries means a one-fifth price reduction; a 25% hike in salary means your new salary will be 1-fourth more than your current salary. 

Hence, as students, you must not just learn the formula of Percentage but truly understand the concept as it will help you in your higher grade mathematics as well as in daily lives.

What is the Percentage of a Number?

In Maths, a percentage is a numeric or proportional representation defined as a fraction of 100. In simpler terms, a percentage is a way of expressing a specific fraction or portion out of every hundred. This means it’s a fraction with 100 as the denominator and is typically denoted by the symbol “%” symbol.

Percentage Formula: How to Find what percent (%) of A is B

To find what percent of A is B, you need to follow the simple formula of percentage.

Check the formula for percentage below:

Percentage formula = [( Specified Quantity (A) / Total Quantity (B) ) x 100]

For example – What percent of 80 is 25?

Solution: [(25/80) x 100] = 31.25%

How to Find A if P percent of it is B?

Let us understand how to Find A if P percent of it is B with an example:

10 percent of what number is 90? 

Solution:

Here, P = 10 %

B = 90

To find: A

Using the percentage formula,

[(10/ 100) X A] = 90

(1/10) X A = 90

A = 900

Therefore, 10 percent of 900 is 90.

How to Find P percent of A?

For example, find 25 percent of 500.

Solution: Using percentage formula,

(25 / 100) x 500 = (1/4) x 500 = 125

How to Convert Fraction to Percentage: Conversion Between Percentages and Fractions

Converting fraction to percentage is easy.

To convert a fraction into a percentage, 

Step 1: Divide the numerator by the denominator

Step 2: Multiply the result by 100

For example, Convert 1/50 into percentage.

Solution:

(1/ 50) x 100 = 2%

Conversion Between Decimals and Percentages: How to Convert Decimals to Percentages?

Converting decimals to percentage is not much different than Converting Fraction to Percentage.

Shortcut: To convert decimals to percentage, Multiply the result by 100

For example, Convert 1.5 into percentage.

Solution:

1.5 x 100 = 150%

OR

(15/ 10) x 100 = 150%

Percentage Difference Formula

To find the percentage difference between two numbers, 

Step 1: Find the absolute value of the difference between the two numbers.

Step 2: Divide this absolute difference by the average (the sum of the two numbers divided by 2). 

Step 3: Multiply the result by 100 to express it as a percentage instead of a decimal. 

Here’s the formula to make it simple:

Percentage Difference Formula = | [1st value – 2nd value] / [(1st value + 2nd value)/ 2] | X 100%

Example: What is the percentage difference between 20 and 5?

Here, 

1st value = 20 and 2nd value = 5

Using the Percentage Difference Formula | [1st value – 2nd value] / [(1st value + 2nd value)/ 2] | X 100%

Percentage difference between 20 and 5 = | (20 – 5) / [(20 + 5)/2] | = | 5/12.5 | X 100% = 0.4 X 100% = 40 percent.

Thus, Percentage difference between 20 and 5 is 40%.

Percentage Change Formula

The percentage change can be either an increase or a decrease.

Percentage Increase Formula

Percentage Increase Formula = (Increase in the Value/Original Number)×100%

You can find out the increase in value with this formula, Increase in the Value = new value – original number

Percentage Decrease Formula

Percentage Decrease Formula = (Decrease in the Value/Original Number)×100%

You can find out the Decrease in value with this formula, Decrease in the Value = original number – new value

How to Calculate Percentage in Excel

As an adult, it might get frustrating working with percentages in the workplace setting because doing everything manually might not be as effective. MS Excel or Google Sheets can be your saviour in these cases. 

Find the percentage of a total in Excel

Find the percentage of a total in Excel with the help of an example given below:

Suppose that you have answered 86 questions correctly out of 100 on a test. What is your percentage of correct answers then?

Step 1: Click any blank cell.

Step 2: Type = 86/100, and then press RETURN .

Step 3: The result is 0.84.

Step 4: Select the cell that contains the result from step 2.

Step 5: On the Home tab, click the Percent Style button.

Step 6: The result is 84.00%, which is the percentage of correct answers on the test.

Solved Percentage Questions and Example

Que 1: Riya had 6 boxes of peanut butter. She sold 2 of them. What percentage of peanut butter boxes is left with her?

Total number of peanut butter boxes = 6

Number of peanut butter boxes sold = 2

Number of peanut butter boxes left with Riya = 6-2=4

Percentage formula = [( Specified Quantity (A) / Total Quantity (B) ) x 100]

Therefore, using the formula of percentage = [ (4/6) x 100] = 66.66%

Percentage of peanut butter boxes left with Riya = 66.66%

Que 2: Charu has a box of 560 candies. If Charu gave 90 percent of her candies to her cousin, find out how many candies her cousin got?

Total number of candies = 560

90 percent of 560 candies = (90/ 100) X 560 = 504

Therefore, Charu’s got 504 candies.

Que 3: Shailaja bought a new jacket for $90. The value of the jacket increased by 3% during winters. Calculate the current value of this jacket for Shailaja. 

3% of 90 dollars = 3/100 × 90 = $2.7

Hence, increase in the value of the jacket = 90 + 2.7 = $92.7