Real-World Percentage Examples

Shopping & Retail

Example 1: Black Friday Sale

Scenario: You're shopping on Black Friday and see a TV originally priced at R8,000 with a "40% OFF" sticker.

Question: How much will you save, and what's the final price?

Solution:
Discount amount: R8,000 × 0.40 = R3,200
Final price: R8,000 - R3,200 = R4,800
Answer: You save R3,200 and pay R4,800

Example 2: Multiple Discounts

Scenario: A store offers "20% off everything" and you have a coupon for an additional "10% off."

Question: If an item costs R500, what's the final price?

Solution:
First discount: R500 × 0.80 = R400
Second discount: R400 × 0.90 = R360
Total saved: R500 - R360 = R140 (28% total, not 30%!)
Answer: Final price is R360

Example 3: Price Comparison

Scenario: Store A sells a phone for R6,000. Store B sells it for R5,400.

Question: What percentage cheaper is Store B?

Solution:
Difference: R6,000 - R5,400 = R600
Percentage: (R600 ÷ R6,000) × 100 = 10%
Answer: Store B is 10% cheaper

Restaurant & Hospitality

Example 4: Restaurant Tip

Scenario: Your meal costs R420 and you want to leave a 15% tip.

Solution:
Quick method: 10% = R42, 5% = R21, so 15% = R63
Total bill: R420 + R63 = R483
Answer: Leave R63 as tip, total bill is R483

Example 5: Service Charge Included

Scenario: A restaurant bill shows R800 with "10% service charge included."

Question: What was the food cost before the service charge?

Solution:
If 110% = R800, then 100% = R800 ÷ 1.10 = R727.27
Service charge: R800 - R727.27 = R72.73
Answer: Food cost was R727.27, service charge was R72.73

Finance & Taxes

Example 6: VAT Calculation

Scenario: You buy an item for R230 including 15% VAT.

Question: What's the VAT amount and pre-VAT price?

Solution:
If 115% = R230, then 100% = R230 ÷ 1.15 = R200
VAT amount: R230 - R200 = R30
Answer: Pre-VAT price is R200, VAT is R30

Example 7: Salary Increase

Scenario: Your annual salary is R360,000 and you receive a 7% increase.

Solution:
Increase amount: R360,000 × 0.07 = R25,200
New salary: R360,000 + R25,200 = R385,200
Monthly increase: R25,200 ÷ 12 = R2,100 per month
Answer: New salary is R385,200 annually (R32,100 monthly)

Example 8: Investment Returns

Scenario: You invested R50,000 and it's now worth R58,500.

Question: What's your percentage return?

Solution:
Gain: R58,500 - R50,000 = R8,500
Percentage: (R8,500 ÷ R50,000) × 100 = 17%
Answer: You gained 17% on your investment

Health & Fitness

Example 9: Weight Loss Progress

Scenario: You weighed 95kg and now weigh 85kg.

Question: What percentage of your body weight did you lose?

Solution:
Weight lost: 95 - 85 = 10kg
Percentage: (10 ÷ 95) × 100 = 10.53%
Answer: You lost approximately 10.5% of your body weight

Example 10: Daily Calorie Goal

Scenario: Your daily calorie goal is 2,000 and you've consumed 1,450 calories.

Question: What percentage of your goal have you consumed?

Solution:
Percentage: (1,450 ÷ 2,000) × 100 = 72.5%
Remaining: 2,000 - 1,450 = 550 calories (27.5%)
Answer: You've consumed 72.5% of your daily goal

Example 11: Workout Improvement

Scenario: Last month you ran 5km in 30 minutes. This month you ran it in 27 minutes.

Question: What's the percentage improvement in your time?

Solution:
Time reduced: 30 - 27 = 3 minutes
Percentage: (3 ÷ 30) × 100 = 10%
Answer: You improved your time by 10%

Education

Example 12: Exam Score

Scenario: A test has 65 questions and you answered 52 correctly.

Solution:
Percentage: (52 ÷ 65) × 100 = 80%
Answer: You scored 80% on the test

Example 13: Grade Calculation

Scenario: Your final grade is calculated as: 40% midterm, 60% final. You scored 75% on midterm and 85% on final.

Solution:
Midterm contribution: 75 × 0.40 = 30
Final contribution: 85 × 0.60 = 51
Total: 30 + 51 = 81%
Answer: Your final grade is 81%

Example 14: Attendance Requirement

Scenario: Your course requires 80% attendance. There are 40 classes, and you've attended 35.

Solution:
Current attendance: (35 ÷ 40) × 100 = 87.5%
Classes you can miss: 40 × 0.20 = 8 classes
Already missed: 40 - 35 = 5 classes
Can still miss: 8 - 5 = 3 more classes
Answer: You have 87.5% attendance and can miss 3 more classes

Real Estate

Example 15: Property Value Appreciation

Scenario: You bought a house for R1,800,000 five years ago. It's now worth R2,340,000.

Solution:
Increase: R2,340,000 - R1,800,000 = R540,000
Percentage: (R540,000 ÷ R1,800,000) × 100 = 30%
Annual average: 30% ÷ 5 years = 6% per year
Answer: Property appreciated 30% total (6% average per year)

Example 16: Mortgage Down Payment

Scenario: You're buying a R2,500,000 property and need to put down 20%.

Solution:
Down payment: R2,500,000 × 0.20 = R500,000
Loan amount: R2,500,000 - R500,000 = R2,000,000
Answer: Down payment is R500,000, mortgage is R2,000,000

Business & Sales

Example 17: Sales Commission

Scenario: You earn 8% commission on sales. You sold R450,000 worth of products this month.

Solution:
Commission: R450,000 × 0.08 = R36,000
Answer: You earn R36,000 in commission

Example 18: Profit Margin

Scenario: You buy products for R60 each and sell them for R90 each.

Question: What's your profit margin percentage?

Solution:
Profit per item: R90 - R60 = R30
Margin on cost: (R30 ÷ R60) × 100 = 50%
Margin on selling price: (R30 ÷ R90) × 100 = 33.33%
Answer: 50% markup, 33.33% profit margin

Example 19: Market Share

Scenario: Your company sold 2,500 units in a market where 12,000 total units were sold.

Solution:
Market share: (2,500 ÷ 12,000) × 100 = 20.83%
Answer: Your company has approximately 21% market share

Travel & Transportation

Example 20: Fuel Efficiency Improvement

Scenario: Your old car got 10km per liter. Your new car gets 14km per liter.

Solution:
Improvement: 14 - 10 = 4km/L
Percentage: (4 ÷ 10) × 100 = 40%
Answer: 40% improvement in fuel efficiency

Example 21: Flight Discount

Scenario: An airline ticket normally costs R5,200. You find it for R3,900.

Solution:
Savings: R5,200 - R3,900 = R1,300
Percentage: (R1,300 ÷ R5,200) × 100 = 25%
Answer: You're getting a 25% discount

Technology & Electronics

Example 22: Battery Life

Scenario: Your phone had 100% battery at 8am. At 2pm (6 hours later) it's at 45%.

Solution:
Battery used: 100% - 45% = 55% in 6 hours
Usage rate: 55% ÷ 6 = 9.17% per hour
Estimated total life: 100% ÷ 9.17% = 10.9 hours
Answer: Using 9.17% per hour, estimated ~11 hours total battery life

Example 23: Storage Space

Scenario: Your 256GB hard drive has 89GB free.

Solution:
Used: 256 - 89 = 167GB
Percentage used: (167 ÷ 256) × 100 = 65.23%
Percentage free: (89 ÷ 256) × 100 = 34.77%
Answer: 65% full, 35% free space remaining

Quick Reference: Common Percentages

1% = 1 in 100
5% = 1 in 20
10% = 1 in 10
20% = 1 in 5
25% = 1 in 4 (one quarter)
33.33% = 1 in 3 (one third)
50% = 1 in 2 (one half)
66.67% = 2 in 3 (two thirds)
75% = 3 in 4 (three quarters)
100% = all, whole, complete

Tips for Quick Calculations

10%: Move decimal point one place left (10% of 250 = 25)
5%: Find 10% and divide by 2
15%: Find 10% + 5%
20%: Find 10% and double it
25%: Divide by 4
50%: Divide by 2
75%: Find 50% + 25%

Use Our Calculators

Make all these calculations instantly with our free tools:

• General Percentage Calculator - For any percentage calculation
• Percentage Change Calculator - For increases and decreases
• What Percentage Is X of Y Calculator - For proportions and ratios