How to Find the Total from a Percentage (With Examples)

Sometimes you're given a part and a percentage, and you need to work backward to find the total amount. This is a common scenario in finance, grades, health, and shopping. The good news is — it's easy once you know the formula!

What Does It Mean to Find the Total from a Percentage?

You're given a portion of something and what percentage that portion represents. Your goal is to calculate the original or total value that percentage was taken from.

The Formula to Find the Total

Total = (Part × 100) / Percentage

Example 1: Basic Reverse Percentage

If 30 is 20% of a number, what is the total?

Total = (30 × 100) / 20 = 3000 / 20 = 150

Example 2: Real-World Scenario

You scored 45 marks, which is 60% of the total. What is the full mark?

Total = (45 × 100) / 60 = 4500 / 60 = 75

Real-Life Applications

• Education: Find full marks from a partial exam score and known percentage.
• Finance: Determine full price before a discount.
• Health: Calculate total weight from body fat percentage.
• Marketing: Find total traffic from a known segment percentage.

Practice Questions

1. If 80 is 40% of a total, what is the full value?
2. You paid $36, which was 60% of the bill. What was the total bill?
3. 20 is 25% of what number?

Answers:

• 200
• 60
• 80

Summary

Finding the total from a percentage is a reverse operation — instead of taking a percentage *of* something, you're using it to calculate the original value. Just use the formula:

Total = (Part × 100) / Percentage

With this method, you can confidently solve reverse percentage problems in school, business, or everyday life.