Converting a Number to a Percent

To use one of the conversion calculators, enter an amount in the fields, and tab or click out. The answer will display automatically.

Percent, an abbreviation of per centum meaning per hundred, is how we express a number as a fraction of 100. Some of us use percentages daily, whether in mathematics or engineering fields or calculating what to tip the waiter or waitress after eating out. The basics are pretty simple, really.

MathsIsFun.com perhaps has the easiest way of explaining it, describing that when you say percent you’re really saying "per 100" with:

  • 100% meaning 100 per 100, or all
  • 50% meaning 50 per 100, or half
  • 25% meaning 25 per 100, or a quarter
  • 10% meaning 10 per 100, or a tenth
  • etc., etc.

Question: So, and to the point of this article, how do you convert a number to a percent ?

The following examples show how to convert a number, decimal or fraction to a percent.

Converting a Number to a Percent

To convert a number into percent multiple it by 100 and then add the percent sign. These examples convert the numbers 23 and 158 to percents.

Example 1: 23 x 100 = 2300%

Example 2: 78 x 100 = 7800%

Example 3: 158 x 100 = 15800%

Converting a Number with a Decimal to a Percent

To convert a number with a decimal into percent, multiply it by 100 and add the percent sign. These examples convert 0.4580; 0.0257; and 0.00458.

Example 1: 0.4580 x 100 = 45.80%

Example 2: 0.0257 x 100 = 2.57%

Example 3: 0.00458 x 100 = 0.458%

Converting a Fraction to a Percent

To convert a fraction into percent, just perform the division, multiple the result by 100 and then add the percent sign. These examples convert the fractions 1/2; 3/4; and 7/8.

Example 1: (1/2) x 100 = 50%

Example 2: (3/4) x 100 = 75%

Example 3: (7/8) x 100 = 87.5%