Percentage Points vs. Percent
Percentage points and percent describe different calculations. The difference between 10% and 9% is 1 percentage point, while a 1% relative decrease from 10% would produce 9.9%, not 9%.
Use “percentage points” for the arithmetic difference between percentage levels; use “percent” for relative percent change.
Key details
Important caveats
Usage Boundary
State percentage points when comparing two percentage levels and percent when reporting a relative change, unless the governing statistical method defines another measure.
Further guidance
Distinction
If a rate moves from 10% to 9%, it falls by 1 percentage point; that is different from a 1% relative fall from 10%.
Practical Application
Use “percentage points” for the arithmetic difference between two percentages. Use “percent” for relative change, calculated against the starting value; state the base when confusion is possible.
Reader Check
Are you subtracting two percentage levels, or describing how large the change is relative to the original percentage?
Worked Example
A rate rising from 20% to 25% rises by 5 percentage points. Relative to the original 20%, that is a 25% increase—not a 5% increase.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Percentages — ONS Service Manual (opens in a new tab)Office for National Statistics · Distinguishes percentage-point changes from relative percent changes