Sumwise

Percentage Difference between 4 and 21

Between 4 and 21: 136% difference

Difference
136%
Gap
17
Average
12.5
Ratio
5.25 : 1

Sumwise · Maintained by Theo Abbott (pen name) · automated checks · Data: exact arithmetic; unit definitions from NIST SP 811 · Updated · How the checks work

How to work it out

  1. Gap between the values: |4 − 21| = 17
  2. Average of the values: (4 + 21) ÷ 2 = 12.5
  3. Divide the gap by the average and multiply by 100: 17 ÷ 12.5 × 100 = 136%
  4. Check: Work backwards: 1.36 × 12.5 = 17, the gap between the values.

In a spreadsheet: =ABS(4-21)/((4+21)/2)*100. Dividing by one of the values instead of their average turns it into a percentage change, which depends on which value you start from.

What the result means

21 is 17 more than 4. Measured against their average, 12.5, that gap is 136%. The result is the same whichever value you name first.

Prices: if one shop charges $4 and another $21 for the same item, the prices differ by 136%.

Why the average is the base

Dividing the gap of 17 by 4 gives 425%, and dividing it by 21 gives 80.9524%. The average, 12.5, sits between them, so the result does not depend on which value is listed first.

Related results

Results for nearby numbers
4 and 31

Between 4 and 31: 154.2857% difference

4 and 11

Between 4 and 11: 93.3333% difference

14 and 21

Between 14 and 21: 40% difference

The other way round: Percentage change from 4 to 21. Percentage difference is symmetric: between 21 and 4 it is the same 136%, so there is one page for each pair of numbers. Percentage change is not: from 4 to 21 is +425%, from 21 to 4 is -80.9524%.

Practice

1 and 26
Show answer

Between 1 and 26: 185.1852% difference

25 and 49
Show answer

Between 25 and 49: 64.8649% difference

47 and 66
Show answer

Between 47 and 66: 33.6283% difference

6 and 58
Show answer

Between 6 and 58: 162.5% difference

36 and 53
Show answer

Between 36 and 53: 38.2022% difference

20 and 75
Show answer

Between 20 and 75: 115.7895% difference

Calculate another

How answers are calculated and checked: methodology.

Questions

Percentage Difference between 4 and 21

The percentage difference between 4 and 21 is 136%: the gap divided by the average. Formula and steps.

What is the percentage change from 4 to 21?

+425%. Percentage change uses the starting value (4) as the base, so it is larger than the percentage difference of 136%.

What is the difference between percentage difference and percentage change?

Percentage change compares a new value with an old one and divides by the old value. Percentage difference compares two values on an equal footing and divides by their average, so the order does not matter.