HTML Entity for Percent Sign (%)

Beginner

6 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+0025

HTML Entity for percent sign (%) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Percent Sign Entity?

Percent sign (%) is the Basic Latin character at Unicode U+0025 (PERCENT SIGN). It means 1/100 — used for discounts, statistics, and progress values. HTML5 provides the named entity &percnt;; you can also type % directly.

Remember

Character     %
Unicode       U+0025
Named entity  &percnt;
Hex entity    &#x25;  (or &#x0025;)
Decimal       &#37;
CSS escape    \0025

All of these produce the same glyph: %. Prefer typing % or &percnt; for readable HTML.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`&percnt;`	HTML markup
Hex entity	`%`	HTML markup (also `%`)
Decimal entity	`%`	HTML markup
Direct character	`%`	HTML text (UTF-8 default)
CSS escape	`\0025`	Stylesheet `content` (padded)

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Everyday HTML rates	Type `%` or use `&percnt;`
Numeric entity required	`%` or `%`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\0025"`
Per thousand / per ten thousand	`&permil;` / `&pertenk;`
URL query strings	Percent-encode as `%25` (different from display)

See it

Live Preview

Percent sign rendered in common contexts.

Glyph %

Large glyph %

In a rate 25% off

With entities Named: % | Hex: % | Decimal: %

Related signs % (&percnt;) · ‰ (&permil;) · ‱ (&pertenk;)

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows the percent sign with named, hex, decimal, direct, and CSS forms. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Named + Hex + Decimal + Direct + CSS

Five ways to produce % in a single document.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Percent Sign (%) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\0025";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &percnt;</p>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x25;</p>
  <p>Using Decimal: &#37;</p>
  <p>Using Direct Character: %</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>Discount: 25&percnt; off</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Named: &percnt; is the clearest named form for U+0025.

2. Hex: U+0025 → % (or %) in HTML.

3. Decimal: same code point as 37 → %. Same glyph.

4. Direct: type % in a UTF-8 file — it is safe in HTML text (unlike &, <, >).

5. CSS: use padded \0025 in content so the next character is not read as part of the hex escape.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with this rate entity.

Scale

%, ‰, ‱

Per 100 → %. Per 1000 → &permil;. Per 10 000 → &pertenk;. Mixing scales misstates the rate.

URLs

Encoding ≠ display

In URLs, a literal % is written as %25. That is percent-encoding — different from showing % on the page.

CSS pad

Prefer `\0025`

A short \25 can absorb the next hex digit. Pad to four digits: \0025.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\0025 belongs in CSS. &percnt; / % / % belong in HTML.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish with ; — write &percnt;, not &percnt.

Space

Locale spacing

Some locales put a space before % (e.g. 25 %). Follow the style your audience expects.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Percent sign (U+0025) and its entity forms (&percnt;, %, %, CSS \\0025) are supported in all mainstream browsers.

✓ Universal support

Percent Sign (%)

Prefer typing % or &percnt;, or encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same glyph everywhere.

100% Browser coverage

Google Chrome Supported

Yes

Microsoft Edge Supported

Yes

Mozilla Firefox Supported

Yes

Apple Safari Supported

Yes

Opera Supported

Yes

Internet Explorer All versions

Yes

U+0025 / entities Full support

Bottom line: Prefer typing % or &percnt; in HTML. Use % / % when a numeric form is required, and padded \\0025 only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: percent sign is U+0025 (decimal 37), Basic Latin.
HTML: type % or use &percnt; / % / %.
CSS: use padded \0025 inside content.
Scale: 1/100 — not the same as ‰ or ‱.

One line: U+0025 → % / &percnt; / % / % / CSS \0025.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display the percent sign (%) in HTML using entities?

Use &percnt; (named), % or % (hex), % (decimal), type % in UTF-8, or the CSS escape \0025 in content. All render %.

What is the Unicode value for percent?

U+0025 (PERCENT SIGN). Hex 25 / 0025, decimal 37. It belongs to Basic Latin and means 1/100.

Is there a named HTML entity for %?

Yes. HTML5 defines &percnt;. You can also use % or %, or simply type % in a UTF-8 document — % is not a reserved HTML markup character like <, >, or &.

When should I use the percent HTML entity?

Use it for discounts, statistics, and progress values (e.g. 25%). Prefer typing % or &percnt; for readable source. For per thousand use &permil;; for per ten thousand use &pertenk;.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for %?

HTML entities (&percnt;, %, or %) go in markup. The CSS escape \0025 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Prefer the padded form \0025 so the next digit is not swallowed.

How is % different from ‰ or ‱?

% is per hundred. ‰ (U+2030, &permil;) is per thousand. ‱ (U+2031, &pertenk;) is per ten thousand. Do not mix the scales.

Did you know?

Percent sign (%) is Unicode U+0025 (decimal 37) — PERCENT SIGN in Basic Latin. HTML5 provides &percnt;. You can also type % directly in UTF-8. One % equals 1/100. Related: &permil; (‰, per 1000) and &pertenk; (‱, per 10 000).

Next: Period

Learn the HTML entity for the period (full stop) — the next character in this entity sequence.

Period tutorial →

About the author

Mari Selvan M P 🔗

Developer, cloud engineer, and technical writer

Experience 12 years building web and cloud systems
Focus Full Stack Development, AWS, and Developer Education

I write practical tutorials so students and working developers can learn by doing—from databases and APIs to deployment on AWS.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Credly)

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