If you’ve ever shopped during a sale, checked your exam scores, or calculated your monthly savings, you’ve already used percentages in real life. Now imagine doing all those calculations faster and more accurately in Excel — that’s where Excel’s percentage formulas come in.

Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone trying to manage expenses, knowing how to calculate percentages in Excel can save you tons of time. In fact, over 90% of businesses rely on Excel for analyzing data like growth rates, profit margins, or discounts. To know more in detailed, enroll best advanced Excel training in Gurgaon. 

This guide will walk you through the simplest ways to calculate percentages in Excel, from basic formulas to slightly advanced tricks. Don’t worry if you’re a beginner — the steps are super easy to follow.

Why Learning Percentages in Excel is Important

• ✅ Instant Calculations – Quickly find discounts, exam scores, profit margins, and more.
  

• ✅ Better Data Analysis – Compare growth, track expenses, or measure performance.
  

• ✅ Clear & Neat Results – Excel can format numbers into percentages with just one click, making your data easy to read.
  

The Core Formula of Percentage in Excel

At its heart, percentage calculation is simple:

Percentage = (Part ÷ Whole) × 100

In Excel, you usually don’t need the “×100” part. If you apply the percentage format, Excel will automatically convert decimals into percentages.

👉 Example Formula:

=A1/B1

(Here, A1 is the part and B1 is the total.)

Step-by-Step: How to Calculate Percentages in Excel

Let’s make it practical with easy examples.

Example 1: Student Marks Percentage

Suppose column B has total marks, column C has marks obtained, and you want the percentage in column D.

1. In D2, type:
   =C2/B2
   

2. Hit Enter.
   

3. Select the Percent Style (%) button from the toolbar (or press CTRL + SHIFT + %).
   
   

Now every student’s percentage will appear neatly.

Example 2: Find Percentage of a Number

Want to calculate 20% of 200? Just type:

=20%*200

👉 Result: 40

No need to overthink — Excel does the math instantly.

Example 3: Use Cell References Instead of Numbers

Suppose salary is in A2, and you want to find 12% PF contribution in B2.

Formula:
=A2*12%

👉 Much better than typing numbers every time — especially for large datasets.

Automatically Calculate Percentages (Total Marks Example)

Let’s say you have marks of 3 subjects in columns B, C, D.

1. Add Total Marks:
   In E2, type:
   =B2+C2+D2
   
   

2. Find Percentage:
   In F2, type:
   =E2/300 (if total max marks are 300).
   
   

3. Apply Percent Style (%) formatting.
   
   

Done ✅ – Excel gives you each student’s percentage automatically.

Advanced Percentage Tricks in Excel

Once you know the basics, here are some slightly advanced but very useful methods:

1. Percent of Total (Using Absolute References)

If the sum of all values is in B7, and individual values are in B2–B6:

Formula:
=B2/$B$7

👉 The $ locks the total cell so it doesn’t change when you copy formulas down.

2. Percentage Increase / Decrease

To measure growth or decline between two numbers:

Formula:
=(New - Old)/Old

👉 Example: Last month sales = 100, this month = 120.

Formula:
=(120-100)/100 → 20% increase.

3. Compare Two Numbers (Percentage Difference)

Formula:
=(B3-B2)/B2

👉 Helps track changes like sales from one quarter to the next.

Positive = growth (black), Negative = decline (red).

Increase or Decrease a Number by Percentage

Sometimes you want to directly increase or reduce a value by a set percentage.

• Increase Formula:
  =A1*(1+50%)
  

• Decrease Formula:
  =A1*(1-50%)
  

👉 If A1 = 200, then:

• Increase by 50% = 300
  

• Decrease by 50% = 100
  
  

For flexible inputs, put the percentage in B1 and use:
=A1*(1+B1)

Pro Tips for Accurate Percentage Work

• ✅ Always check cell format → Set as Percentage for clarity.
  

• ✅ Avoid dividing by zero → If denominator is blank/0, you’ll see #DIV/0!.
  

• ✅ Use absolute references ($B$7) to lock totals.
  

• ✅ Test formulas on a small dataset before applying to full data.
  

• ✅ Keep formatting consistent → Use Percentage for results, Currency/Number for values.
  
  

Quick FAQ on Percentages in Excel

Q1. How to calculate percentage across multiple rows?
👉 =SUM(A1:A3)/SUM(A1:A10)

Q2. What is the basic percentage formula in Excel?
👉 (Part/Total) and then apply percentage format.

Q3. How to find student percentage in Excel?
👉 (Marks Obtained ÷ Total Marks) → Format as percentage.

Q4. How to calculate percentage between two cells?
👉 =((New-Old)/Old)

Q5. Formula for Average & Percentage in Excel?
👉 Average: =AVERAGE(A1:A10)
👉 Percentage: (A1 / SUM(A1:A10))

Final Thoughts

Percentages in Excel aren’t scary at all — they’re just smart shortcuts that save time. From calculating discounts and profits to tracking exam scores and monthly growth, these formulas make life easier.

Start with the basic (Part/Total) formula, practice with real examples, and then move to advanced tricks like percent change or absolute references. Once you get the hang of it, Excel becomes your personal calculator that never makes mistakes. 🚀