How to Find Debt Ratio Percentage: A Simple Guide

April 24, 2025 5 min read

Understanding your financial health is crucial, whether you're managing a business or your personal finances. One key indicator of financial leverage is the debt ratio. But how to find debt ratio percentage accurately? This guide breaks down the concept, formula, and significance of the debt ratio, and it shows you how our percentage calculator can simplify the process.

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What is the Debt Ratio?

The debt ratio, also known as the debt-to-asset ratio, is a financial metric that compares a company's total debt to its total assets. It reveals the proportion of a company's assets that are financed by debt. This is the formula:

Debt Ratio = Total Debt / Total Assets

A debt ratio above 1 (or 100%) indicates that a company has more debt than assets, suggesting higher financial risk. Conversely, a ratio below 1 suggests that a company relies more on equity to finance its assets, implying lower risk.

Steps to Calculate Debt Ratio Percentage

  1. Gather the Data: Obtain the company's total debt (total liabilities) and total assets from its balance sheet.
  2. Apply the Formula: Divide the total debt by the total assets to get the debt ratio.
  3. Convert to Percentage: Multiply the result by 100 to express it as a percentage.

Example: Suppose a company has total debt of $500,000 and total assets of $1,000,000. The debt ratio is ($500,000 / $1,000,000) = 0.5. Expressed as a percentage, this is 50%.

Debt Ratio Analysis

The debt ratio offers insights into a company's financial leverage and risk profile. A high ratio may indicate over-reliance on debt, increasing the risk of financial distress, which you can easily identify with our percentage calculator. A low ratio may suggest a conservative approach, but also potentially missed opportunities for growth using leverage.

The ideal debt ratio varies by industry. Capital-intensive industries like utilities often have higher debt ratios than technology companies.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Debt Ratio

Pros

  • Simple and easy to calculate.
  • Provides a quick snapshot of a company's leverage.
  • Facilitates comparison across companies within the same industry.

Cons

  • Doesn't account for the type or cost of debt.
  • Ignores profitability and cash flow.
  • May not be comparable across different industries.

Streamline Debt Ratio Calculations with Our Percentage Calculator

While the debt ratio formula is straightforward, our percentage calculator simplifies the process. You can instantly find what percentage one number is of another, allowing you to quickly determine a company's debt ratio without manual calculations. No need to install any software - it works on any device!

Our tool also handles a variety of other percentage-related calculations, including finding the percentage of a number and calculating percentage increases or decreases. For example, use it to track how your debt ratio changes over time or compare it against industry benchmarks.

Beyond the Debt Ratio

The debt ratio is just one piece of the puzzle. Use it in conjunction with other financial ratios, such as the debt-to-equity ratio, to get a more complete understanding of a company's financial health. Keep in mind capital expenditures and industry averages.

Understanding how to calculate the debt ratio percentage empowers you to make informed financial decisions. And with PercentageFinder.org, you'll be able to calculate all kinds of percentages to help you gain all kinds of insights!