How to Find a Percentage of a Percentage: A Simple Guide

April 24, 2025 2 min read

Ever needed to figure out a percentage based on another percentage? It might sound a little complicated, but it's a common calculation with practical uses. Whether you're figuring out discounts, analyzing data, or just trying to understand a complex statistic, this guide will show you how to find a percentage of a percentage quickly and easily.

Simplify Percentage Calculations Instantly!

Use our free calculator to quickly find a percentage of a percentage and more.

Calculate Percentage of a Percentage Now! →

Understanding Percentages

Before diving in, let's quickly recap what a percentage is. A percentage is simply a way of expressing a number as a fraction of 100. So, 50% means 50 out of 100, or half. Percentages are useful for comparing different proportions and understanding relative amounts.

The Simple Method: Multiply!

The easiest way to find a percentage of a percentage is to convert both percentages into decimals and then multiply them together. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

  1. Convert to Decimals: Divide each percentage by 100.
  2. Multiply: Multiply the two decimals.
  3. Convert Back: Multiply the result by 100 to express it as a percentage.

Example Time!

Let's say you want to find 20% of 50%.

  1. 20% becomes 20/100 = 0.20
  2. 50% becomes 50/100 = 0.50
  3. Multiply: 0.20 x 0.50 = 0.10
  4. Convert back to a percentage: 0.10 x 100 = 10%

So, 20% of 50% is 10%.

Why This Works

This method works because you're essentially finding a fraction of a fraction. When you convert to decimals, you're expressing each percentage as its decimal equivalent. Multiplying these decimals gives you the combined fraction, which you then convert back to a percentage for easier understanding.

Real-World Examples

  • Discounts: Imagine a store offers a 30% discount on items already marked down by 25%. To find the actual discount, you'd calculate 30% of 25%.
  • Statistics: If a survey finds that 60% of respondents agree with a statement, and 40% of that 60% are women, you can use this method to find the overall percentage of women who agree.
  • Finance: Calculating compound interest rates, or understanding fees that are a percentage of another percentage (though this is rare).

Let Our Percentage Calculator Do the Work!

While the math is straightforward, why not save time and effort? Our percentage calculator at the top of the page can instantly solve this and other percentage problems for you. Just enter the two percentages, and you'll get the answer right away! Plus, you can also easily find what percent of a number is, what percentage one number is of another, or calculate percentage increase or decrease