How to Convert a Percentage to a Decimal
Converting a percentage to a decimal is easy. Divide the percentage by 100.
Question
What is 20% as a decimal?Step-by-Step:
1
Divide the percentage (20) by 100.
20 ÷ 100 = 0.2
Note: Do not write the % (percent) sign after the decimal.
Answer:
20% converted to a decimal is 0.2.
Top Tip
Short Cut
Converting a percentage to a decimal happens by dividing the percentage by. Dividing by 100 is equivalent to moving the decimal point 2 places to the left:
With practice, it should become easy to visualise this and write the answer down immediately:
1% = 0.01
9% = 0.09
36% = 0.36
72% = 0.72
100% = 1.00
This page was written by Stephen Clarke.
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