What is a Percentage?
Expressing quantities in percentages always helps give a better sense of proportion. It helps us visualize the quantity better in our heads and is great for making comparisons. Itโs no wonder that most common quantities like sales tax, discounts, bank interest rates, etc. are commonly expressed in percentages.
The term percent or percentage means one part of a hundred. It’s a fundamental concept for everyday life, allowing us to compare ratios on a base of 100 rather than arbitrary random numbers.
Quick Reference: Google Sheets Percentage Formulas
If you just need the formula syntax, here is a quick cheat sheet:
| Goal | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Percentage | =Part / Total |
=25/100 (Result: 25%) |
| Percentage Change | =(New - Old) / Old |
=(150-100)/100 (Result: 50%) |
| Increase by % | =Value * (1 + %) |
=50 * (1+10%) (Result: 55) |
| % Meeting Criteria | =PERCENTIF(Range, Criteria) |
=PERCENTIF(A1:A10, ">10") |
The Google Sheets Percentage Formula
How do you use the percentage formula in Google Sheets? You simply use division.
Unlike complex functions, there is no specific =PERCENT() function for basic calculations. Instead, you divide the part by the whole.
=Part / Whole
For example, if you want to find out what percentage 15 is of 100, you type =15/100. This gives you a decimal (0.15). To turn this into a percentage, you simply format the cell.
Why Use The Google Sheets Percentage Format?
The percentage format in Google Sheets is one of the most useful number formats. It automatically converts a decimal (like 0.15) into a readable percent (15%) by multiplying by 100 and adding the symbol.
All you need to do is select the cell and click on the โ%โ button in the Google Sheets toolbar.
Using percentage formatting makes data much easier to read. Compare the two images belowโthe second is instantly clearer.
How to Automatically Format as Percentage (TO_PERCENT)
If you want a formula to force a number into percentage format without clicking the toolbar button, you can use the TO_PERCENT function.
=TO_PERCENT(Value)
For example: =TO_PERCENT(C2/B2).
Alternative: Calculate Percentage by Multiplying by 100
If you want the number to look like a whole number (e.g., “50”) instead of a percentage (e.g., “50%”), you can manually multiply by 100.
=(Part / Total) * 100
Note: Do not format this cell as a percentage afterwards, or Google Sheets will multiply it by 100 again (turning 50 into 5000%).
Example Spreadsheet
Want to follow along? Make a copy of my example spreadsheet to practice these formulas yourself.
How to Calculate Percentage of a Proportion
This is useful for tracking goals, such as sales targets or project completion.
The Formula:
=Sales / Target
- Type
=C2/B2in cell D2. - Click the % button in the toolbar.
- Drag the fill handle down to apply to other rows.
How to Calculate the Percentage of Total
This formula helps you see how much each individual contributes to the whole pie.
The Formula:
=Individual Sales / Total Sales
- Calculate the Total Sales in cell B7 using
=SUM(B2:B6). - In cell C2, use the formula
=B2/$B$7.
Important: We use dollar signs ($B$7) to create an Absolute Reference. This ensures that when you drag the formula down, it always divides by the total in B7, rather than moving the reference down.
How to Calculate Percentage Change
This is one of the most common tasks in Sheetsโcalculating growth or decline over time.
The Percentage Change Formula:
=(New Value - Old Value) / Old Value
In our example: =(C2-B2)/B2.
If the result is positive, sales increased. If negative, sales decreased.
How to Calculate Percentage Based on Criteria (PERCENTIF)
Google Sheets has a unique function called PERCENTIF that allows you to calculate the percentage of a range that meets a specific condition. It’s one of the basic formulas that helps save an enormous amount of time.
The Syntax:
=PERCENTIF(range, criterion)
For example, to find the percentage of sales that are greater than $10,000:
=PERCENTIF(C2:C9, ">10000")
How to Calculate a Percentage of Checkboxes
If you are tracking tasks with checkboxes, you can calculate the percent complete using a combination of COUNT formulas.
The Formula:
=COUNTIF(Range, TRUE) / COUNTA(Range)
In our example: =COUNTIF(C2:C6, TRUE) / COUNTA(C2:C6).
How to Increase or Decrease Numbers by a Percentage
If you want to do percentage calculations, like when applying a markup (tax/profit) or a markdown (discount), you use the “1 + Percentage” method.
Increase by Percentage
To add a percentage increase like 20% to a number, you multiply it by 120% (or 1.2 if using decimal places). To do this, just use the equal sign, then the multiplication formula with an asterisk.
=Amount * (1 + Percentage)
Example: =A2*(1+B2)
Decrease by Percentage
To do a percentage decrease, like subtracting 10% from a number, you multiply it by 90% (or 0.9).
=Amount * (1 - Percentage)
Example: =A5*(1-B5)
Conclusion
In this tutorial, I showed you the Google Sheets percentage formula options. Whether you are calculating simple ratios, percentage change, or using the unique PERCENTIF function, formatting as percent helps you visualize your data instantly.
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