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Decimal to Percent Converter
To convert a decimal to a percent, multiply by 100, which moves the decimal point two places to the right, and add the % sign: 0.875 is 87.5%, 0.05 is 5% and 1.5 is 150%. A repeating decimal stays repeating, so 0.(3) is 33.(3)%, about 33.33%. This converter shows each step.
Multiply by 100.
- Multiply by 100: 0.875 × 100 = 87.5.
- That is the decimal point moved two places to the right: 0.875 becomes 87.5%.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Percent | 87.5% |
| To the nearest whole percent | 88% |
| Fraction | 7/8 |
| Out of every 100 | 87.5 out of 100 |
| Per mille | 875‰ |
The figure above is an example: put in your own. Repeating decimals can be typed with the repeating block in brackets, 0.(3) for 0.333…, or with three dots, and powers of ten such as 1.5e-3 are read too. Worked out exactly in this browser and kept there; nothing is sent anywhere.
Type a decimal and read it as a percent, with the fraction it equals and the step that gets there. Repeating decimals are converted exactly and rounded only for display.
Converting a decimal to a percent writes the same value as a number of hundredths: multiply by 100 and add the % sign. 0.875 is 87.5 hundredths, so 87.5%.
- No sign-up
- Nothing uploaded
- Shows every step
- Works offline
- Exact, no rounding errors
Key facts
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Rule | Multiply by 100: move the decimal point two places right |
| Example | 0.875 = 87.5% = 7/8 |
| Over 1 | 1.5 = 150% |
| Repeating | 0.(3) = 33.(3)%, about 33.33% |
| Accepts | 0.875, .5, 0,5, 0.(3), 0.333..., 1.5e-3 |
| Where your numbers are kept | This browser only |
How to convert a decimal to a percent
Move the point two places right and add the sign.
Find the decimal point
In 0.875 it is after the 0.
Move it two places to the right
Fill with zeros if needed: 0.5 becomes 50.
Add the % sign
0.875 becomes 87.5%.
Round if you need to
Choose the decimal places; the exact value stays shown.
Check the size
A decimal over 1 is over 100%.
Who converts decimals to percents
Anyone with a proportion, probability or rate written as a decimal.
Students
Homework answers given as percents, with the step.
Analysts
A proportion from a spreadsheet, ready to quote.
Sports fans
A batting or shooting average as a percent.
Gamblers and gamers
A probability of 0.125 as a 12.5% chance.
Savers
A rate of 0.045 from a formula as 4.5%.
Teachers
Repeating decimals turned into exact percents.
Where decimals come from, and what their percents mean
Decimals that need to become percents usually come out of a division: a proportion, a probability, a rate or a score. The conversion is always the same, multiply by 100, but what the result means depends on where the decimal came from.
| Where it comes from | Decimal | Percent | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Probability | 0.875 | 87.5% | 7 chances in 8 |
| Proportion of a count | 0.62 | 62% | 62 of every 100 people asked |
| Interest rate in a formula | 0.035 | 3.5% | The rate written for multiplying |
| Batting average (baseball) | 0.312 | 31.2% | Hits per at-bat, written as a decimal by convention |
| Waist-to-height ratio | 0.5 | 50% | Waist half of height, the usual threshold |
| Growth factor | 1.08 | 108% | 8% more than before |
Some fields keep the decimal on purpose. A baseball batting average is quoted as .312, never 31.2%, and a waist-to-height ratio is written 0.5 (the waist-to-height guide explains the 0.5 and 0.6 bands). Convert when you need to compare with other percentages or explain a figure to someone; keep the decimal when that is the convention.
Repeating decimals as percents
A decimal that repeats stays repeating as a percent: the repeating block moves two places with the point. Typing 0.333 into a calculator gives 33.3%, which is close to a third but is not one. Typing 0.(3) here gives exactly 33.(3)%, and the converter rounds it only for display.
| Repeating decimal | Fraction | Exact percent | Rounded to 2 places |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.(3) | 1/3 | 33.(3)% | 33.33% |
| 0.(6) | 2/3 | 66.(6)% | 66.67% |
| 0.1(6) | 1/6 | 16.(6)% | 16.67% |
| 0.(142857) | 1/7 | 14.(285714)% | 14.29% |
| 0.(1) | 1/9 | 11.(1)% | 11.11% |
| 0.08(3) | 1/12 | 8.(3)% | 8.33% |
When a percentage built from rounded decimals is added up, the total can come out at 99.9% or 100.1%. That is a rounding effect, not an error in the data; the tally percentage calculator rounds a whole set so it adds to exactly 100. For where these repeating decimals come from, see the fraction to decimal calculator.
Decimal to percent in a spreadsheet
In a spreadsheet, converting a decimal to a percent is a matter of format, not arithmetic. A cell holding 0.875 formatted as Percentage shows 87.5%, and the value underneath is unchanged. Multiplying by 100 as well gives 8750%. Microsoft’s help article, Format numbers as percentages in Excel, recommends exactly this: calculate the value as a decimal, then apply the Percentage format, which is why formatting 0.1 shows 10%.
| Cell | Shows | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 0.875 in a cell, formatted as Percentage | 87.5% (with 1 decimal place set) | Right |
| =0.875*100, formatted as Percentage | 8750% | Multiplied twice |
| =0.875*100, General format | 87.5 | Right number, no % sign |
| =TEXT(0.875,"0.0%") | 87.5% as text | Right, but no longer a number |
In writing, the US NIST style guide (SP 811, section 7.10.2) reminds that % stands for the number 0.01, so 87.5% and 0.875 are equal and either can be used; the guide prefers the symbol to the word in technical text, with a space before it.
What this converter does not do
This converter changes how a value is written. It accepts a decimal, a whole number, a repeating decimal in brackets or with three dots, and powers of ten. A fraction such as 7/8 is better typed in the fraction to percent calculator, and a value that already has a % sign belongs in the percent to decimal converter; both are refused here with a message pointing there. Rounding is half away from zero; “to the nearest whole percent” rounds 87.5% up to 88%.
This converter or an answer-only one
What this page does that a typical answer-only widget does not.
| This page | A typical calculator | |
|---|---|---|
| Repeating decimals in | 0.(3) and 0.333... accepted | Rounded input only |
| Exact result | 33.(3)%, then rounded | 33.3333333% |
| The fraction too | 0.875 = 7/8 | Not shown |
| Shows the step | Yes | Answer only |
| Exact arithmetic | No floating-point drift | Floating point |
| Your numbers leave the browser | Never | Varies |
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Frequently asked questions
How do you convert a decimal to a percent?
Multiply by 100 and add the % sign, which moves the decimal point two places to the right. 0.875 becomes 87.5%, 0.4 becomes 40% and 0.07 becomes 7%. If you run out of digits, fill with zeros: 0.5 is 50%.
What is 1.5 as a percent?
150%. A decimal above 1 is more than the whole, so its percent is above 100%. 1 is 100%, 2 is 200% and 1.08 is 108%, which is 8% more than the starting amount. Multiply by 100 in each case: the decimal point moves two places to the right.
How do you convert a repeating decimal to a percent?
Multiply by 100; the repeating block moves with the point. 0.(3) is 33.(3)%, 0.1(6) is 16.(6)%. Rounded to two places they are 33.33% and 16.67%. Type the repeating digits in brackets here and the converter keeps them exact. Typing 0.333 instead gives 33.3%, which is not a third.
What is 0.05 as a percent?
5%. Moving the decimal point two places right turns 0.05 into 5. A common slip is writing 50%, which would be 0.5. Count the places: hundredths become whole percents. In the same way 0.005 is 0.5% and 0.5 is 50%: each zero straight after the point makes the percent ten times smaller.
How do I change a decimal to a percent in Excel?
Select the cell and apply the Percentage format, or press Ctrl+Shift+%. The cell keeps 0.875 and shows 87.5%. Do not also multiply by 100, or 0.875 will show as 8750%. Set the decimal places in the format to choose the rounding.
Is a proportion the same as a percentage?
They are the same value written differently. A proportion is a fraction of 1, such as 0.62; a percentage is the same thing out of 100, 62%. Statistics texts often keep proportions as decimals and convert only when reporting. Multiply a proportion by 100 to get the percentage.
How do you round a percentage from a decimal?
Convert first, then round. 0.86666... is 86.(6)%, which is 87% to the nearest whole percent and 86.67% to two places. Rounding the decimal first, to 0.87, gives 87% here but can lose a place in other cases. Choose the places in the calculator; the exact value stays shown.
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