Relative Frequency Calculator
Add categories with their raw counts to calculate each one's relative frequency — the percentage of the total that category represents.
How the Relative Frequency formula works
The relative frequency formula, applied to each category:
Relative frequency = (Category count / Total count of all categories) × 100
Step-by-step calculation
- Add up the counts across every category to get the total.
- For each category, divide its count by the total.
- Multiply by 100 to express as a percentage.
Worked example
Survey responses: Red=12, Blue=20, Green=8 (total 40). Relative frequency: Red = 12/40×100 = 30%, Blue = 20/40×100 = 50%, Green = 8/40×100 = 20%.
Frequently asked questions
How is relative frequency different from probability?
Relative frequency describes an already-observed data set (what actually happened), while probability describes an expected likelihood before an event occurs — relative frequency is often used as an empirical estimate of probability when enough data is collected.
Should relative frequencies across all categories add up to 100%?
Yes — since every count is a portion of the same total, the relative frequencies of all categories in a complete data set will always sum to exactly 100%.