Quickly calculate percentages for exams, discounts, profit & loss, marks, and financial calculations. This free percentage calculator gives instant results with clear step-by-step explanations.
Calculate new value after percentage change
How to Use: Enter your original value (e.g., salary, price) and the percentage change. Perfect for calculating discounts, salary hikes, or price increases.
Find what percentage one number is of another
How to Use: Input the part (X) and the whole (Y) to find what percentage X represents of Y. Ideal for exam scores, population statistics, or measuring completion rates.
Convert any fraction to a percentage
How to Use: Enter the numerator (top number) and denominator (bottom number) of your fraction. Useful for converting recipe measurements, classroom grades, or survey results into percentages.
Percentages are used across many real-world scenarios. Here are some practical applications:
Calculate the final price after a discount. For example, a $150 jacket with a 20% off sale means you save $30, paying only $120. This helps you budget and compare deals across different stores.
Real-Life Examples:
Determine tax amounts or interest rates. If your restaurant bill is $200 and GST is 5%, you'll pay an additional $10 in tax, making the total $210. Essential for budgeting and financial planning.
Real-Life Examples:
Convert test scores to percentages. Scoring 45 out of 60 marks equals 75%, which helps students understand their performance level and teachers track academic progress effectively.
Real-Life Examples:
Track revenue changes and KPIs. If sales increased from $50,000 to $65,000, that's a 30% revenue increase, indicating strong business performance and helping with forecasting.
Real-Life Examples:
The concept of percentages dates back centuries, with merchants and traders using "per cento" (Italian for "per hundred") to calculate profits, losses, and transaction fees. This early method provided a standardized way to compare values regardless of the total amount involved—a concept that remains essential in modern mathematics, finance, and data analysis.
The percent sign (%) evolved gradually over time. Early handwritten documents abbreviated "per cento" as "pc" or "p^c," which eventually became stylized into the symbol we recognize today. By the 16th century, the modern % symbol was adopted in printed materials, making percentage calculations more accessible and standardized across trade routes and educational institutions worldwide.
Today, percentages are fundamental to everyday calculations—from retail discounts and tax rates to academic grades, investment returns, and statistical analysis. Understanding percentages helps people make informed decisions about finances, health, and countless other aspects of daily life.
The terms "percent" and "per cent" are mathematically identical—both represent a fraction of one hundred. The difference is purely a matter of regional spelling convention. "Percent" is the standard spelling used in American English, while "per cent" (written as two words) is common in British English and other Commonwealth countries. Both spellings are correct and widely accepted in their respective regions.
Most modern calculators, programming languages, and digital tools use the single-word "percent" to maintain consistency and clarity across international borders. Whether you see "5% growth" or "5 per cent growth," the meaning is exactly the same. This calculator uses the modern "percent" notation to align with contemporary mathematical standards and software conventions worldwide.
Understanding this distinction can be helpful if you're reading documents from different English-speaking countries. The important thing to remember is that the numerical value and calculation method remain unchanged regardless of which spelling is used.
Percentage points measure the absolute difference between two percentages. This is distinct from percentage change, which compares the relative change from one value to another. Understanding this distinction is crucial for accurately interpreting financial reports, statistical data, and policy changes.
Example: If an interest rate increases from 5% to 7%, that's an increase of 2 percentage points. However, it's a 40% relative increase (because 2 ÷ 5 × 100 = 40%). These are two different measurements of change. Percentage points provide an absolute measure, while percentage change provides a relative measure based on the starting value. Using this percentage calculator, you can compute both measurements to understand the full context of any change.
Percentage points are commonly used when discussing changes in statistics, interest rates, unemployment rates, polling data, and academic scores. Distinguishing between percentage points and percentage change helps prevent misinterpretation of data and supports clearer communication about numerical changes.
How we ensure accurate and reliable percentage calculations
This Percentage Calculator uses standard mathematical formulas to calculate percentage increase, decrease, difference, and value-based percentages. All results are generated instantly based on the numbers you enter.
This tool is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. Calculations should be verified for academic, financial, or professional decision-making.
All calculations run entirely in your browser. No input data is stored, saved, or shared with any server.
Percentage formulas used on this page follow universally accepted mathematical principles taught in schools and used in business, finance, and data analysis.
Enter the original value and the new value. The calculator applies the formula ((New − Original) ÷ Original) × 100 to show the exact percentage increase or decrease with steps.
Enter the part value and the whole value. The calculator divides the part by the whole and multiplies the result by 100 to calculate the percentage.
Yes. Enter the numerator and denominator, and the calculator converts the fraction into a percentage using (Numerator ÷ Denominator) × 100.
Yes. Each calculator displays a dynamic step-by-step breakdown along with the exact formula used, helping you understand how the result is calculated.
Yes. The calculator uses standard mathematical formulas for accurate results and is completely free to use on any device without registration.