How to calculate percentage
A percentage expresses a number as a fraction of 100. Percentage calculations appear in everyday situations — salary increases, discounts, exam scores, tax rates, investment returns, and statistical data. This calculator handles the three most common percentage questions: what is X percent of Y, X is what percent of Y, and what is the percentage change from X to Y.
Common percentage calculations
Finding X percent of Y: multiply Y by X and divide by 100. Example: 15 percent of 80,000 is 80,000 × 15 ÷ 100 = 12,000. Finding what percent X is of Y: divide X by Y and multiply by 100. Example: 12,000 is what percent of 80,000 — 12,000 ÷ 80,000 × 100 = 15 percent. Percentage change: subtract old value from new, divide by old, multiply by 100. Example: salary changed from 50,000 to 57,000 — (57,000 − 50,000) ÷ 50,000 × 100 = 14 percent increase.
Percentage increase vs percentage points
These are different concepts that are often confused. If a tax rate increases from 10 percent to 15 percent, it has increased by 5 percentage points (15 minus 10). But it has increased by 50 percent as a percentage change (5 ÷ 10 × 100). Politicians and media often use these interchangeably in misleading ways — always check which is being used when reading about rate changes.
Using percentages in salary calculations
In Pakistan, government salary revisions are announced as percentages of existing pay — for example, a 7 percent Adhoc Relief Allowance means each employee receives an additional 7 percent of their current basic pay. When comparing job offers, convert everything to percentage terms: if Job A pays Rs 80,000 and Job B pays Rs 95,000, Job B pays 18.75 percent more than Job A.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate a discount? Multiply the original price by the discount percentage and divide by 100 to get the discount amount, then subtract from the original price. A 30 percent discount on Rs 5,000 saves Rs 1,500, leaving a price of Rs 3,500.
How do I reverse-calculate a percentage? If the final amount after a 15 percent increase is Rs 92,000, the original was Rs 92,000 ÷ 1.15 = Rs 80,000.
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