Excel, the powerful spreadsheet software, provides various functions that make calculations easier. One such function is the ability to calculate percentages. Whether you’re compiling business reports or handling your personal finances, knowing how to calculate percentages in Excel can come in handy. In this post, we’ll walk you through the steps on how to achieve this.
Basic Calculation of Percentage
Let’s start with the basics. To calculate a percentage, you simply divide the part by the whole and multiply the result by 100. In Excel, you would automate this by creating a formula. For example, if you have a part value in cell A2 and the total value in cell B2, you can calculate the percentage in cell C2 using this formula:
= (A2/B2)*100
After inputting this formula, press Enter. Excel will then perform the calculation and display the result in cell C2.
Formatting Cells to Display Percentage
In Excel, you can also format cells to display values as percentages. This is useful when you want to display decimal values as percentages. To achieve this, follow the steps below:
- Select the cell(s) you want to format.
- Right-click and choose Format Cells.
- In the Format Cells box, click on the Number tab and select Percentage.
- Choose the number of decimal places you want to display.
- Click OK.
Calculating Percentage Increase or Decrease
Often, you may need to calculate the percentage increase or decrease between two numbers. This is especially common in financial analysis. The formula for this in Excel is:
= ((B2-A2)/ABS(A2))*100
This formula refers to the new value (B2), subtracts the old value (A2), divides the result by the absolute value of the old value, and then multiplies by 100 to get the percentage change.
In conclusion, Excel provides a simple way to calculate percentages, whether it’s a basic percentage calculation, format cells to display percentage, or calculating a percentage increase or decrease. The key is understanding how to create the correct formula and apply the appropriate formatting. We hope this post has helped you get better familiarized with calculating percentages in Excel.