Percentage and percentile are both statistical concepts, but they are used in different contexts and have distinct meanings. Here are five key differences between percentage and percentile:
Definition:
Percentage:
Definition: A percentage is a fraction of 100. It represents a proportion or ratio expressed on a scale of 100. Percentages are often used to express the relative size or amount of one quantity in relation to a whole.
Percentile:
Definition: A percentile is a statistical measure that represents the relative position of a particular value within a dataset. It indicates the percentage of data points below a specific value in a distribution.
Calculation:
Percentage:
Calculation: The percentage is calculated by taking a part of the whole and expressing it as a fraction of 100. The formula for calculating the percentage is:
Percentage =(
Part Whole) × 100 Percentage=(Whole Part )×100
Percentile:
Calculation: Percentiles are calculated by dividing a dataset into 100 equal parts and identifying the position of a particular data point within that distribution. Percentiles range from 0 to 100, and the 50th percentile is the median.
Representation:
Percentage:
Representation: Percentages are often represented by the symbol “%”. For example, a value of 0.75 can be expressed as 75%.
Percentile:
Representation: Percentiles are represented by the term “percentile” followed by a specific number. For instance, the 75th percentile represents the value below which 75% of the data falls.
Usage:
Percentage:
Usage: Percentages are commonly used in everyday contexts to express proportions, ratios, and comparisons. They are used in finance, academics, statistics, and various other fields.
Percentile:
Usage: Percentiles are used in statistics to describe the relative standing of a particular data point within a dataset. They are often employed in tests and assessments to understand how individual scores compare to the overall distribution.
Example:
Percentage:
Example: If a student answered 30 questions correctly out of a total of 40, the percentage of correct answers would be (3040) ×100 =75% ( 4030)×100=75%.
Percentile:
Example: If a student scored in the 80th percentile on a standardized test, it means that their score is higher than 80% of the scores in the test’s distribution.
In summary, percentages are used to express ratios or proportions out of 100, while percentiles indicate the relative position of a particular value within a dataset, expressed as a percentage of the total. They serve different purposes in different contexts, with percentages being more general and percentiles providing specific information about the distribution of data.