In Google Sheets, if you want to calculate a percentage for a number, you can write a simple mathematical formula where you divide the total number with the number you want to calculate, then multiply it by 100, or apply the percentage format.
Method 1 – Calculate the Percentage (Divide and Format)
- First, enter “=” in a cell and refer to the cell where you have the number for which you want to calculate the percentage.
- After that, enter “/” forward slash to divide.
- Next, refer to the cell or enter directly in the formula the number, which is the total on which you want to calculate the percentage.
- In the end, hit enter to get the result, and then click on the “Format as percent” button to apply the percentage format.
=B1/A1=value/total_valueYou can also change the number of decimals from the Increase/Decrease decimal buttons.
Method 2 – Divide and the Multiple with 100 to Get the Percentage
With the same formula we have used above, you can multiply it by 100 to get the percentage.
=(B1/A1)*100You don’t need to apply the percentage format when you use this formula. And if you want to add a percentage symbol with it, you can use an ampersand and use double quotation marks for the percentage symbol.
=((B1/A1)*100)&"%"Note: Using the first method instead of the second is recommended. With the first method, it’s possible to use the percentage value further in a calculation, as it remains a number when you change the format to percentage. But, with the second method, combining the percentage symbol with the percentage converts it into text.