Percentage Calculator: How to Calculate a Percentage?

Percentages are everywhere in daily life—whether you're calculating a discount on an online shopping order, checking your DepEd exam scores, or comparing interest rates on a savings account. Understanding percentages helps you make better financial and academic decisions.

But what is a percentage? How do you calculate it? You can do it manually with a simple formula or use our online percentage calculator to get results in seconds.

Let’s dive into the different ways percentages are used in the Philippines, along with easy formulas to help you calculate them.

What is a Percentage?

A percentage expresses a number as a fraction of 100. It is widely used to compare proportions, measure changes, and analyze statistics in finance, education, shopping, and health.

For example

For example, if you score 85% on your DepEd Senior High School exam, it means you got 85 out of 100 marks correct.

How to Calculate a Percentage?

To calculate a percentage, use this simple formula:

Percentage = (Part ÷ Total) × 100

Finding Marks Percentage

If you scored 450 out of 500 in an exam, your percentage is: (450 ÷ 500) × 100 = 90%

So, your exam score is 90%.

How is a Percentage Used?

Percentages are used in everyday situations, including:

• Shopping Discounts – Computing sale prices in Lazada, Shopee, or SM Department Stores.
• Banking & Loans – Understanding interest rates on savings and home loans.
• Education – Checking DepEd or CHED grading systems.
• Nutrition Labels – Knowing the sugar or fat content of food and drinks.

Let’s break down each of these with examples.

Shopping: Discounts & Sales

Imagine you see a pair of shoes on sale at 25% off in SM Mall or Shopee, originally priced at ₱2,000.

To find out how much you’ll save: 2,000 × 0.25 = 500

So, you save ₱500, and the new price is ₱1,500.

Banking & Finance: Loan & Savings Interest

Percentages are essential in banking, especially when calculating interest on savings or home loans.

For example, if your BDO savings account offers 4% annual interest on a deposit of ₱50,000:

You'll earn: 50,000 × 0.04 = 2,000

So, you earn ₱2,000 per year in interest.

Education: Grading Systems in the Philippines

In the Philippines, schools use percentage grading. Here’s a common grading scale:

Example – Calculating a Grade Percentage

If you get these scores:

Math: 85%
English: 90%
Science: 88%

Average Percentage = (85 + 90 + 88) ÷ 3 = 87.6%

Your final average percentage is 87.6%, which may translate to a 1.5 GPA (Very Good).

How to Calculate Percentage Increase & Decrease?

Percentage Increase Formula

Percentage Increase = ((New Value − Old Value) ÷ Old Value)) × 100

Example – Electricity Bill Increase

Your Meralco bill was ₱2,000 last month but is now ₱2,500.

Percentage Increase = ((2,500 − 2,000) ÷ 2,000)) × 100 = 25%

So, your electricity bill increased by 25%.

Percentage Decrease Formula

Percentage Decrease = ((Old Value − New Value) ÷ Old Value)) × 100

Example – Smartphone Price Drop

A phone originally cost ₱30,000, but now it’s on sale for ₱24,000.

Percentage Decrease = ((30,000 − 24,000) ÷ 30,000)) × 100 = 20%

So, the phone price dropped by 20%.

Other Common Percentage Calculations

GPA & CGPA to Percentage Calculator

Many Philippine universities use CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) instead of percentages.

To convert CGPA to Percentage:

Percentage = CGPA × 9.5

For example

If your CGPA is 8.4:

8.4 × 9.5 = 79.8% 

So, your percentage is 79.8%.

Salary Percentage Calculator

Want to know how much of your salary goes into savings, rent, or expenses?

Percentage = (Expense ÷ Salary) × 100

For example

If your monthly salary is ₱50,000 and you spend ₱15,000 on rent:

Salary Percentage = (15,000 ÷ 50,000) × 100 = 30%

So, 30% of your salary goes to rent.

Attendance Percentage Calculator

Schools in the Philippines require at least 80% attendance for students to pass.

Attendance Percentage = (Classes Attended ÷ Total Classes) × 100

For example

If you attended 40 out of 50 classes:

(40 ÷ 50) × 100 = 80%

So, your attendance is 80%, which meets the requirement.

Hike Percentage Calculator

If you received a salary increase, use this formula:

Hike Percentage = ((New Salary−Old Salary) ÷ Old Salary)) × 100

For example

If your salary increased from ₱30,000 to ₱35,000:

Salary Hike Percentage = ((35,000 − 30,000) ÷ 30,000)) × 100 = 16.7%

So, your salary hike is 16.7%.

Body Fat Percentage: How to Calculate Body Fat Percentage?

Body Fat Percentage Formula

Body Fat Percentage = (1.20 × BMI) + (0.23 × Age) - (10.8 × Gender) - 5.4

• For males, use 1 for gender.
• For females, use 0 for gender.

Body Fat Percentage Calculator

If BMI = 24 and Age = 25, then:

Body Fat Percentage = (1.20 × 24) + (0.23 × 25) - (10.8 × 1) - 5.4

= 28.8 + 5.75 - 10.8 - 5.4 = 18.35%

Slope Percentage Calculator: How to Find Slope Percentage?

Slope percentage tells you how steep something is—whether it’s a hill, road, treadmill, or even a rooftop. It’s used in construction, real estate, fitness, and transportation to ensure safety and usability.

Slope Percentage Formula:

Slope % = (Rise ÷ Run) × 100

• Rise = Height difference (vertical)
• Run = Distance covered (horizontal)

For example

Let’s say your treadmill has a belt length of 150 cm, and when you set it to 10% incline, the front of the belt rises 15 cm.

Slope % = (15 ÷ 150) × 100 = 10%

That means you’re running at a 10% incline, similar to sprinting up a steep hill!

Frequency to Percentage: How to convert frequency to percentage?

Frequency to Percentage Formula

Percentage = (Frequency ÷ Total Observations) × 100

For example

If 50 out of 100 people choose Chickenjoy:

Percentage = (50 ÷ 100) × 100 = 50%

Growth Percentage: How to Calculate Growth in Percentage?

Want to track business success? Growth percentage helps measure how much something has increased over time—whether it’s your salary, savings, or business revenue.

Growth Percentage Formula

Growth Percentage = [(New Value - Old Value) ÷ Old Value] × 100

For example

Say you own a café and if its revenue grows from ₱500,000 to ₱600,000, then:

Growth % = [(600,000 - 500,000) ÷ 500,000] × 100

= (100,000 ÷ 500,000) × 100 = 20%

Winning Percentage: How to Calculate Winning Percentage?

Whether you're tracking basketball teams, eSports, or personal fitness goals, winning percentage shows how often you succeed.

Winning Percentage Formula:

Winning Percentage = (Wins ÷ Total Games) × 100

For example

If Barangay Ginebra wins 30 out of 40 games, then:

Winning % = (30 ÷ 40) × 100 = 75%

Nishadh Mohammed

Nishadh Mohammed is a seasoned news editor and financial writer, working with HelloSafe since May 2023. Nishadh has developed expertise in financial markets, insurance, and investment products, with a deep understanding of the Canadian financial landscape. He has honed his SEO skills and content marketing strategies while writing for Canadian publishing houses. Armed with a master's in Business Analytics and extensive journalistic experience, Nishadh uniquely combines data proficiency and thorough research to deliver comprehensive and accessible information.