Percent to decimal

This lesson will show you how to convert percent to decimal. Converting percent to decimal should not be hard if you carefully study this lesson


Recall that percent means per hundred. For instance, 25% means 25 per hundred.



To change a percent into a decimal, simply move the decimal point two places to the left.

What is decimal point?

Look at the following number: 2.05

The decimal point is the small dot that we see between the 2 and the 0.

What about 36? Where is the decimal point?

You can always write 36 as 36.0 or 36.000 or put a million zeros after the decimal point and it would still equal to 36

Now, let us practice!

Example #1:

Change 13% into a decimal

13% = 13.0%

After moving the decimal point two places to the left, the decimal point will be immediately before the 1

We get .130

Usually, we put a zero before the decimal point, so the answer is 0.130 or 0.13

Remember that the zero after the 3 is not necessary.

Example #2:

Change 68% into a decimal

Move the decimal point two places to the left to get 0.68

Example #3:

Change 8% into a decimal

Write 8% as 08%

Notice that adding a zero to the left of 8 does not change the value of 8. The 0 to the left of 8 is insignificant. However, doing that may help to see that the decimal point will not be before the 8, but before the zero.

If we put the point immediately before the 8, you will move it only 1 place, but we need to move it two places.

Therefore, the answer is 0.08

Change 4.6% into decimal

4.6% = 04.6%

Move decimal point two places to the left.

The answer is 0.046