How do I calculate a percentage of a number?

Divide the percentage by 100 and multiply by the number. 20% of 60 is (20 ÷ 100) x 60 = 12. Use the "% of a number" tab above to check any figure instantly.

How do I work out percentage change?

Subtract the starting number from the ending number, divide by the absolute value of the starting number, then multiply by 100. Going from 50 to 60 is ((60 - 50) ÷ 50) x 100 = 20% increase.

What is the difference between percentage and percentage points?

A percentage point is a simple subtraction between two percentages, while a percentage change compares that difference to the original value. A rate moving from 5% to 7% is a 2 percentage point rise, but a 40% increase relative to the original 5%.

How do I add 20% VAT?

Multiply the price before VAT by 1.2. A £50 item becomes £50 x 1.2 = £60 including VAT at the UK standard rate.

How do I find the original price before a discount?

Divide the discounted price by (1 minus the discount as a decimal). If a jacket costs £80 after a 20% discount, the original price was £80 ÷ 0.8 = £100.

Percentage Calculator

Every percentage question in one place: X% of Y, percentage change, increases, and discounts.

What is% of?

15% of 200

15 ÷ 100 × 200 = 30

This percentage calculator covers the four questions people actually search for: what X% of a number is, what percentage one number is of another, the percentage change between two numbers, and what a number looks like after you increase or decrease it by a percentage.

Switch between the four tabs above for discounts, VAT, pay rises, exam marks, tips, or working out a percentage change without doing the arithmetic by hand.

The four percentage calculations

Each tab in the calculator above answers a different question, and each has its own plain formula:

X% of Y: (X ÷ 100) x Y. For example, 15% of 200 is (15 ÷ 100) x 200 = 30.
X is what % of Y: (X ÷ Y) x 100. For example, 40 is (40 ÷ 250) x 100 = 16% of 250.
Percentage change from X to Y: ((Y - X) ÷ |X|) x 100, where |X| means the absolute (positive) value of the starting number. Dividing by the absolute value keeps the result sensible even when the starting number is negative.
Increase or decrease Y by X%: Y x (1 + X/100) to increase, or Y x (1 - X/100) to decrease. For example, 80 increased by 25% is 80 x 1.25 = 100.

How to work out a percentage without a calculator

The quickest mental trick is finding 10% first, then scaling. To find 10% of a number, move the decimal point one place left: 10% of 340 is 34. From there, 5% is half of that (17), 20% is double it (68), and 15% is 10% plus 5% (34 + 17 = 51).

For 1%, move the decimal point two places left instead of one, then scale up or down the same way. It's slower than a calculator, but it's fast enough to check a bill or a discount in your head.

Percentage change vs percentage points

This is a genuinely common mix-up, especially in news coverage of interest rates and tax. If a savings rate rises from 5% to 7%, that's a rise of 2 percentage points, because you just subtract one percentage from the other (7 - 5 = 2).

But expressed as a percentage change, it's a rise of 40%, because the rate has gone up by 2 out of an original 5: (2 ÷ 5) x 100 = 40%. Both statements describe the same change; they just answer different questions, so it's worth checking which one a headline or a contract actually means.

Common uses

A percentage calculator earns its keep on everyday numbers, not just homework:

Working out a discount, like 30% off a sale price
Adding VAT at the UK standard rate of 20%
Comparing a pay rise or a bonus as a percentage of your current salary
Turning an exam or test score into a percentage
Working out a tip on a restaurant bill

Worked examples

15% of 200 is 30, using (15 ÷ 100) x 200. 40 is 16% of 250, using (40 ÷ 250) x 100.

Going from 50 to 65 is a percentage change of 30%, using ((65 - 50) ÷ 50) x 100. Increasing 80 by 25% gives 100, using 80 x 1.25. You can plug any of these straight into the tabs above to check them.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate a percentage of a number?: Divide the percentage by 100 and multiply by the number. 20% of 60 is (20 ÷ 100) x 60 = 12. Use the "% of a number" tab above to check any figure instantly.
How do I work out percentage change?: Subtract the starting number from the ending number, divide by the absolute value of the starting number, then multiply by 100. Going from 50 to 60 is ((60 - 50) ÷ 50) x 100 = 20% increase.
What is the difference between percentage and percentage points?: A percentage point is a simple subtraction between two percentages, while a percentage change compares that difference to the original value. A rate moving from 5% to 7% is a 2 percentage point rise, but a 40% increase relative to the original 5%.
How do I add 20% VAT?: Multiply the price before VAT by 1.2. A £50 item becomes £50 x 1.2 = £60 including VAT at the UK standard rate.
How do I find the original price before a discount?: Divide the discounted price by (1 minus the discount as a decimal). If a jacket costs £80 after a 20% discount, the original price was £80 ÷ 0.8 = £100.

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