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1/5 as a percentage

Make the bottom 100: 1/5 = 20/100, and per cent means out of 100, so 1/5 is 20%.

The answer

1/5 = 20%

How to turn 1/5 into a percentage

Per cent means out of 100, so a percentage is a fraction with a bottom of 100.

  1. Make the bottom 100: 5 × 20 = 100.
  2. Do the same to the top: 1 × 20 = 20.
  3. So 1/5 = 20/100, which is 20%.

1/5 as a fraction, decimal and percentage

FractionDecimalPercentage
1/50.220%

Multiply the top and bottom by the same number and the fraction keeps its value: 1/5, 2/10, 3/15, 4/20 and 5/25 are all equal.

Looking for 2/10? It is the same as 1/5, so it gives the same decimal and percentage.

20 squares out of 100 are shaded: 20/100, which is 20%.

All the fifths

Every fifth is 2 tenths: 1/5 is 1 × 2 = 2 tenths, which is 0.2.

1/5 sits between 0 and 1/4 (0.25). It is closer to 1/4.

FractionPercentage
1/520%
2/540%
3/560%
4/580%

Shade 1/5 on a fraction wall

The wall opens with 1/5 shaded in the fifths row. Look straight down: the shading ends in exactly the same place in 2/10, so it is equal to 1/5. Tap other pieces to try more fractions.

A fraction wall from halves to tenths, opening on 1/5.

Keep going

Questions parents ask

What is 1/5 as a percentage?

1/5 = 20%.

What percentage is 1 out of 5?

1 out of 5 is 20%, because 1 out of 5 is the fraction 1/5.

How do you turn 1/5 into a percentage?

Make the bottom 100. 5 × 20 = 100, so multiply the top by 20 too: 1/5 = 20/100. Per cent means out of 100, so 1/5 = 20%.

What is 1/5 as a decimal?

1/5 = 0.2.

Is 1/5 more or less than 50%?

1/5 is less than 50%: 0.2 is less than 0.5. Half of 5 is 2.5, and 1 is less than 2.5.

Fractions, decimals and percentages run all through 11+ maths

Converting between them turns up in 11+ questions on percentages, ratio, money and data. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.