1/6 as a percentage
1 ÷ 6 × 100 never comes out exactly: it is 16.666...%, which is 16 2/3%.
The answer
1/6 = 16 2/3%
That is 16.6%, where the 6 repeats for ever, or 16.7% to 1 decimal place.
How to turn 1/6 into a percentage
Per cent means out of 100, so a percentage is a fraction with a bottom of 100.
6 does not go exactly into 100, so there is no whole-number way to make the bottom 100. Go through the decimal instead:
- Divide the top by the bottom: 1 ÷ 6 = 0.16, where the 6 repeats for ever.
- Multiply by 100, which moves every digit two places to the left: 16.6%, where the 6 repeats for ever.
To write it exactly, divide 100 by 6 and keep the remainder: 100 ÷ 6 = 16 remainder 4. The remainder is 4/6 of a per cent, which simplifies to 2/3, so 1/6 = 16 2/3%.
Rounded to 1 decimal place, 1/6 is 16.7%. To the nearest whole per cent, it is 17%.
1/6 as a fraction, decimal and percentage
| Fraction | Decimal | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1/6 | 0.16, where the 6 repeats for ever | 16 2/3% |
Multiply the top and bottom by the same number and the fraction keeps its value: 1/6, 2/12, 3/18, 4/24 and 5/30 are all equal.
Looking for 2/12? It is the same as 1/6, so it gives the same decimal and percentage.
All the sixths
A sixth is half of a third, so 1/6 = 0.1666..., half of 0.333.... The only sixths in lowest terms are 1/6 and 5/6: 2/6, 3/6 and 4/6 simplify to 1/3, 1/2 and 2/3.
1/6 sits between 0 and 1/4 (0.25). It is closer to 1/4.
| Fraction | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1/6 | 16 2/3% |
| 5/6 | 83 1/3% |
Shade 1/6 on a fraction wall
The wall opens with 1/6 shaded in the sixths row. Look straight down: no other row ends in exactly the same place, so no other fraction on this wall equals 1/6. Tap other pieces to try more fractions.
A fraction wall from halves to tenths, opening on 1/6.
Keep going
Questions parents ask
What is 1/6 as a percentage?
1/6 = 16.666...%, which is exactly 16 2/3%. To 1 decimal place, that is 16.7%.
What percentage is 1 out of 6?
1 out of 6 is 16 2/3%, because 1 out of 6 is the fraction 1/6. For a test score, you would usually round it to 1 decimal place: 16.7%.
How do you turn 1/6 into a percentage?
Divide the top by the bottom to get the decimal, 0.1666..., then multiply by 100 to get 16.666...%.
What is 1/6 as a decimal?
1/6 = 0.1666... It is a recurring decimal: the 6 repeats for ever. To 2 decimal places, it is 0.17.
Is 1/6 more or less than 50%?
1/6 is less than 50%: 0.1666... is less than 0.5. Half of 6 is 3, and 1 is less than 3.
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.