How To Formula Percentage In Excel

by

Excel, the famous spreadsheet software, is a powerful tool that can perform complex calculations and data analysis. One common task that you may need to do is calculating percentages. While it may seem complex at first, calculating percentages in Excel is actually quite straightforward. In this blog post, we will break down the process into easy-to-follow steps.

Understanding The Basics

Before we delve into the process, it’s important to understand the basic formula for calculating percentages. The general formula is:

=(part/total) * 100

Here, ‘part’ represents the partial value or number you are interested in calculating as a percentage. ‘Total’ is the overall value or the total number. The multiplication by 100 is to convert the decimal value into a percentage.

Calculating Percentage in Excel

Let’s say, for example, that you want to calculate the percentage of a specific number in relation to another number. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open your Excel spreadsheet.
2. In cell A1, input the 'part' value.
3. In cell B1, input the 'total' value.
4. In cell C1, input the formula: =(A1/B1)*100
5. Press Enter.

You should now see the percentage in cell C1. If the number appears as a decimal, you can convert it to a percentage by selecting cell C1, clicking the ‘Home’ tab, and then clicking the ‘Percentage’ button in the ‘Number’ group.

Calculating A Percentage Increase or Decrease

Excel also allows you to calculate percentage increases or decreases. Here’s how:

1. Input the initial value in cell A1 and the later value in cell B1.
2. In cell C1, input the formula to calculate the increase or decrease: =((B1-A1)/ABS(A1))*100
3. Press Enter.

This will give you the percentage change between the two values, be it an increase or decrease. If the result is positive, it represents a percentage increase. If it’s negative, it represents a percentage decrease.

Conclusion

Understanding how to calculate percentages in Excel is vital for effective data analysis and visualization. With the simple steps outlined in this post, you should now be able to calculate percentages in Excel like a pro! Remember, practice makes perfect, so don’t shy away from trying out these formulas in your day-to-day Excel use.