Calculate the percentage of a number
Formula : (percentage * number) / 100
Example : If you want to know what represents 15% of 200, the calculation would be : (15 * 200) / 100 = 30
Calculating a percentage increase
Formula : (1 + percentage / 100) * number
Example : If the number 100 increases by 15%, the calculation of the increase will be: (1 + 15 / 100) * 100 = 115
Calculating a percentage decrease
Formula : (1 - percentage / 100) * number
Example : If the number 100 decreases by 15%, the calculation of this decrease will be: (1 - 15 / 100) * 100 = 85
Calculating a percentage from two numbers
Formula : (number / total) * 100
Example : To calculate what 10 represents in relation to 100, the calculation would be: (10 / 100) * 100 = 10%
What is a percentage?
In mathematics, a percentage is a simple way to express a part of a whole in terms of hundredths.
In other words, it’s a fraction with a denominator of 100. For example, 25% represents 25 parts out of 100. A percentage is a number that represents a fraction of 100. 10% is actually 10 / 100.
It is represented by a number, followed by the symbol “%”.
What is the percentage formula?
Use the following formula :
Formula: (1 – percentage / 100) * number
Example: You want to calculate the price of an item on sale. The initial price is €100, and the discount is 15%. The new price will be:
(1 – 15 / 100) * 100 = €85
How to calculate a percentage?
Calculating a discount percentage
If you need to calculate an increase, this formula will be useful:
Formula: (1 + percentage / 100) * number
Example: A product costs €100. To apply a 15% increase, do the following calculation: (1 + 15 / 100) * 100 = €115
For 10% of 200 we do : 200 x (10 / 100) which is equal to : 200 x 0.1
Calculating a percentage increase
If you need to calculate an increase, this formula will be useful:
Formula: (1 + percentage / 100) * number
Example: A product costs €100. To apply a 15% increase, do the following calculation: (1 + 15 / 100) * 100 = €115
Calculating the percentage based on two values
You must compare the part to the total measure, then multiply the result by 100.
The part must be a numerical value and the total measure must be a numerical value greater than the part.
Formula: (part / total value) * 100
Example: Suppose you spent €40 out of a total budget of €200. What percentage of your budget did you spend? Apply the formula to get: (40 / 200) * 100 = 20%
You have thus spent 20% of your budget.
What is a percentage used for?
A percentage can be used to express a variety of measurements, such as interest rates, discounts, growth or decrease rates, etc.
In banking, retail, marketing, or in the commercial field, mastering this mathematical concept is essential for:
calculating VAT, calculating an interest rate, calculating a discount applied to a product, calculating the return on investment of a CRM software, calculating price evolution, Etc.
Examples of calculations
Calculating the percentage of a price
Imagine you want to know how much a product costs after a 25% reduction on its initial price of €80.
Formula: initial price * (1 – percentage / 100)
Example: 80 * (1 – 25 / 100) = €60
The product will therefore cost €60 after the reduction.
Calculating VAT
Do you want to determine the amount of VAT or find the price including all taxes?
Let’s first look at calculating the VAT amount. Whether the VAT is set at 5.5% or 20%, the formula remains the same:
Formula: (VAT * price excluding tax) / 100
Example: If a product has a price excluding tax of €200 and the VAT rate is 20%, the calculation to obtain the amount of VAT is: (15 * 200) / 100 = €20.
Calculating the price including all taxes from the price excluding tax
To calculate the price including all taxes from the price excluding tax, start by determining the VAT price, as seen previously, then add it to your price including all taxes.
Here’s a simple formula to calculate it in one go: (1 + VAT / 100) * Price excluding tax
For example, if the price excluding tax is €1000 and the VAT is set at 20%, the calculation would be: (1 + 20 / 100) * 1000) = €1200.
Calculating a salary increase
Do you want to apply a rate of change to your salary or that of your employee?
To make this calculation, you will need to apply the following formula: (1 + percentage / 100) * number
Example: Let’s see for example what a 5% salary increase represents. On a salary of €2000, the detail of the calculation will be: (1 + 5 / 100) * 2000.
The salary after evolution is therefore equal to €2100.
Calculating a reduction or premium in insurance
In insurance, percentages are used to calculate premiums or reductions.
Example: If an insurance premium amounts to €1,000 and a 10% reduction is applied, we get: (1000∗10)/100=€100
The amount to pay is then €900, which makes it easy to visualize the savings made.
Calculating a variation between two periods
Analyzing variations in figures between two periods is common, especially in business or market statistics.
Example: If a company sees its turnover increase from €200,000 in 2022 to €250,000 in 2023, the increase can be calculated as follows: (250000 – 200000) / 200000 * 100 = 25
This shows a 25% increase in turnover. This method is essential for evaluating annual performance.
Calculating the profitability of a sales tour
Itinerant salespeople often need to analyze the effectiveness of their tours.
Example: After using a tour optimization software like Moovago, a salesperson can calculate the time saved and cost reduction. If an initial tour took 10 hours and optimization reduced this time to 8 hours, they can calculate the percentage of time saved: (10 − 8) / 10 ∗ 100 = 20%
The salesperson has therefore saved 20% of time thanks to route optimization, which directly translates into a reduction in travel costs.
Calculating percentages to adjust sales targets
When a salesperson needs to adjust their sales targets based on new expectations or a promotion, they can calculate the necessary increase.
Example: The initial target was €50,000 and it evolves to €60,000. The increase is calculated as follows: (60000 − 50000) / 50000 ∗ 100 = 20.
This means that the target has increased by 20%, which allows the salesperson to plan their efforts accordingly.
Calculating the ROI of a CRM software
How to easily perform your calculations?
To help you with your calculations, Moovago provides its free online calculators. Quickly get the solution to your mathematical problems at work or at home.
Find the solution to your everyday small calculations! These calculators are free, accessible at any time, and their use is unlimited. Come back as many times as you want to use our tools.
We hope they will simplify your life! Feel free to consult other resources on percentage calculation:
Going further: other frequently asked questions about percentages
Percentage and rate of change are both expressed as %. However, they do not represent the same thing.
- A percentage represents a fraction of a whole. For example, 20% of 100 = 5.
- The rate of change expresses the variation between two numbers. The rate of change measures the change between two values over time. It is often used to compare an initial value to a final value and to quantify the increase or decrease. We also talk about growth or decline. For example, the increase between 100 and 120 corresponds to a rate of change of 20%.
To calculate a percentage from two numbers, you must divide the part by the total, then multiply the result by 100.
Formula: (Part / Total) × 100 Make sure the part is smaller than the total in your calculation.
Example: For instance, to know what 50 represents compared to 200: (50 / 200) × 100 = 25%
You must calculate the relative variation between the two values.
Formula: ((New value – Old value) / Old value) × 100
Example: If an item initially cost €40 and its price increases to €60, you must do: ((60 – 40) / 40) × 100 = 50%
This means the price has increased by 50%.
Applying a percentage reduction to a number can be particularly useful for calculating the final price of a sale item.
Formula: Initial price x (1 – reduction / 100).
For example: a 20% reduction on an item at €100 gives: 100 x (1 – 20 / 100) = €80.
No, percentages cannot be added.
This applies to the percentage of reduction, but also to the percentage of increase. Indeed, they do not represent the fraction of the same base number.
If a first 10% reduction is applied to €100, we get €90. The second 10% reduction then applies to €90, which gives a final price of €81, or a total reduction of 19%.
