Percentage Calculator
Solve common percentage questions, increases, decreases, and percentage differences instantly.
What is X% of Y?
X is what % of Y?
Percentage change
Increase / decrease by X%
Four percentage questions cover most everyday needs.
Use the first calculator for discounts, tips, taxes, and commissions. Use the second to find how much one value represents of another. Percentage change compares a new value with its original value. The fourth calculator applies the same percentage as an increase or a decrease so you can see both adjusted values immediately.
How to calculate percentages
Find X% of Y: divide X by 100, then multiply by Y. For example, 15% of 200 is 0.15 × 200 = 30.
Find what percent X is of Y: divide X by Y, then multiply by 100. For example, 30 is 25% of 120 because (30 ÷ 120) × 100 = 25%.
Find percentage change: subtract the original value from the new value, divide by the original value, then multiply by 100. A change from 80 to 100 is a 25% increase.
Increase or decrease a value by X%: multiply the original value by 1 + X/100 for an increase or 1 − X/100 for a decrease. For example, changing 80 by 15% gives 92 increased or 68 decreased.
Common percentage examples
Discounts: 20% off an $80 item means the discount is $16, so the sale price is $64. For a fuller shopping breakdown, use the discount and markup calculator.
Tips and tax: finding 18% of a restaurant bill or 7% of a purchase uses the same X% of Y calculation.
Grades and growth: use “X is what % of Y?” for scores such as 42 points out of 50, and percentage change for values that rise or fall over time.
Raises and reductions: use increase/decrease when you already know the rate. A 5% raise on 60,000 gives 63,000, while reducing 60,000 by 5% gives 57,000.
Percentage questions people often mix up
Percentage of a number is not the same as percentage change. “20% of 50” asks for a portion of 50. “50 changed to 60” compares two values relative to the original.
A percentage decrease and the same percentage increase do not cancel each other out. If 100 drops 20% to 80, increasing 80 by 20% gives 96, not 100.
Percent and percentage points are different. Moving from 10% to 15% is an increase of 5 percentage points, but the percentage increase relative to 10% is 50%.
Need to move between a percent, decimal, and fraction instead? Use the decimal, fraction, and percent converter.