What Does 1% Mean?


What Does 1% Mean?

We see the use of 1% everywhere. You see its use in mathematics, statistics, research study, and even in our daily life. But, there is a population that doesn’t actually know the correct meaning to 1%. ‘Where is 1% used?’ And ‘how important it is’ is the main topic of discussion in today’s article.

In this article, we will discuss what 1% means, where it is and its importance in our life. We will learn how to calculate percentages so that we can determine how we can determine 1% of a unit. We will also try to figure out whether this term has different meanings in different subjects.

What is %?

The symbol ‘%’ is known as the percent symbol. This symbol is very important and is used in almost every sector of our life. The symbol or percent sign is used to represent a number in a ratio or fraction of 100. This sign is sometimes denoted as “percent” or “pct” also. In other words, we can say a percent is used to represent the proportion of a value to another value.

Where is % used? What is the importance of %?

You can see the use of ‘%’ or percent everywhere. This symbol is used to represent a proportion of a number to another number. It helps us to compare values to a whole unit. You can see its use in scientific sectors, mathematics, statistics, research, tabular, measurements, and even in daily life. 

Meaning of percent in Statistics – The percent sign is the most important thing in this sector. Most of the statistical data is represented by percent or ‘%’.   In most cases, the whole unit is considered as 100 and percent means ‘per hundred’. You can simply say, statistical data is expressed in a value that is compared to a whole value which is 100. 1% in statistics means that the value is one-hundredth of the whole or total unit which is calculated by dividing by 100. 

Meaning of percent or % in Research – The use of % sign or percent is very frequent in research sectors. We can easily express samples with different observations with the help of the percent or % sign. We can get the appropriate idea about the participants or the result obtained after research with the help of percent. 
For example, research is conducted with 100 people. But, 70 people came to attend the research test. So, the information of attendance can be expressed as 70% people were present. Again, Out of 70 people, 35 people gave the correct answer. We can say that 50% of the people gave the correct answer and 50% gave the wrong answer. Since 35 is half of 70, that is why the data is presented as 50% as 50 is half of 100. You can express 50% in ratios too. In that case, it would be a 1:1 ratio where the people who gave the correct answers were equal to the people giving wrong answers. The percentage expression gives a more clear idea of the outcome of a research.  So, you can understand how important percent is in research sectors.

How To Calculate Percent?

You can see the use of percentages everywhere. But how do you determine the percentage of some data? Well, we will help you.

The percentage can be calculated or determined by dividing the acquired value with the whole or total value and multiplying the result by 100. In shorthand way, it can be

Percentage = (acquired number or value total number or value) 100%

Example –

  • Suppose, a company is conducting a survey with 100 people and 6  people were absent so they continued with 94 people.

    So, the percentage of absent participants = (6100)*100% = 6% And, the percentage of present participants = (94100)100% = 94%

  • Again, out of the 94 people, 65 people liked the environment of the company while the rest didn’t like it that much. In that case,

    Participants who like the environment = (6594)100% = 69.14% And the participants who dislike = (2994)100% = 30.8%

    So, out of the survey 69.14% like the environment whereas 30.8% have opposite feelings.

What Does 1% Mean?

As we have understood, percents represent values in comparison to a whole unit value which is expressed in terms of ‘one hundredth’. If you express the whole value as 100 and 1% would mean, the acquired value in proportion to the whole is 1. 

Let’s explain this with an example. Suppose 1% of 100 students passed the exams. 1% of 100 is 1. So, this means only 1 student passed the exam. 

Or, In an example, let’s suppose a note saying “You need to pay 1% tax for this 75$ book”. This means you need to be paying 75 dollars in addition to 1% more money for tax.

So 1% of 75 is 0.75

Thus, you need to pay (75 + 0.75)$ or 75.75$ for the book.

1% refers to one-hundredth part of a whole or total unit. Here the total unit is considered as 100 equal parts. It is used to express rare or minority expressions. It is also used to express statistical, research study, or mathematical data. If you want to know more about how 1% is used and its importance, you can check out the next section.

Uses and importance of 1%

1% is used in every sector such as mathematics, science, research study, and more. It can be used to express the input and output of data.

In daily life, when someone says they have a 1% charge on his or her mobile. It is pretty clear that the person needs to charge his or her mobile or else the mobile would be dead.

You can see the use of 1 % in the news also. They use it to express when a low number of people commit to law and order or do something bad. Some news headlines maybe like

  • “Only 1% of the population know the names of all the places in America”
  • “The Mayor won the election with 1% greater votes”
  • “Only 1% of the bikers wear helmets while riding bikes on the highway”

Or if you want to express you are least favorable in a matter. You can say “I have my 1% opinion on this matter” and give the other person a clear idea about your opinion.

What does The 1% mean?

The 1% refers to the richest high-class people of the society. 1.6 million households in the US consider themselves as the 1%. These people are considered to be the most powerful and richest with the most money and property.

What Does x% Mean?

x% means a proportion of x in comparison to 100. Here x can be an unknown value to be determined. Or, a known value that is replaced by x. Here, x can be any relative value expressed in percentage.

Some Examples –

  • There is an x% chance of raining

    So, whenever there is a weather forecast of rain, a probability expressed in percentage is given to let people know the chances of rainfall. The percent can be 3%, 30%, 70% or so. Here, if the probability of rain is 40% then the value of x in x% will be 40. Hope you understood the concept.


  • x% greater than y

    This statement is very common in mathematical problems. This simply means that the surplus or excess value is x% of y. Or, you can say, x% greater than y meaning in maths is, y +(x% of y) In that case, let’s suppose x = 25 and y =80, the statement stands 25%greater than y. If you want to understand it, in this case, the surplus will be (80 + 25% of 80) or (80 + 20) or 100.


In another case, if we consider y to be a whole value of 100 and x to have a value of 10% then x% greater than y or 10% greater than 100 will be (100 + 10) or 110.

What Does a%b Mean?

You have seen the use of a%b in programming languages. Here a%b doesn’t mean percentage. Here % stands for modulus. If you are learning java, you can see the use of modulus or % in Java. so, if you ever see something like a%b or 10%4, you should know that the % sign used here is not a percent sign, in fact, it is a modulus symbol. 

So, we hope you understood what exactly 1% means and also what the 1% means. We also included how you can calculate the percentage of a unit. And finally, we also added what x% means and also what x% greater than y means in math. In fact, we tried to cover every detail related to the meaning of 1%. We hope you won’t get confused with the meaning now.

Samuel Smith

Samuel Smith is a curious person with tremendous experience. He enjoys sharing his story with everyone and is always ready for new opportunities.

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