Quick ways to work with percentages
- Discount: a 30% discount means you pay 70%. Price × 0.70 is the new price. 350 × 0.70 = 245.
- X% of a number: divide by 100 and multiply. 15% of 200 = 200 × 0.15 = 30.
- What percent: divide the part by the whole and multiply by 100. 45 out of 60 = 75%.
- Change: (new − old) ÷ old × 100. A salary going from 4,000 to 4,500 is a 12.5% raise.
Two discounts are not added together
"30% off, then another 20% off" is not 50% off. The second discount is taken from the already lower price: 100 → 70 → 56, so the total discount is 44%.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a percentage discount?
Multiply the price by the discount and divide by 100 to get the saving, then take it off the price. Or multiply the price by (100 − discount) ÷ 100.
How do I work out a percentage increase?
Take the old value from the new one, divide by the old value and multiply by 100.
Does a 50% rise undo a 50% fall?
No. 100 falls by 50% to 50, and 50 rising by 50% is only 75. Percentages are always of the starting number.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
This page was translated from Arabic. If something is unclear or wrong, please tell us.