HTML Entity for Percent Sign (%)
What You'll Learn
How to display the Percent sign (%) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, named entity, and CSS escape methods. This character is U+0025 (PERCENT SIGN) in the Basic Latin block (U+0020–U+007F)—the standard symbol for parts per hundred in finance, statistics, and everyday content.
Render it with %, %, the named entity %, or CSS escape \25. Do not confuse % with U+2030 (‰, per mille, ‰) or U+2031 (‱, per ten thousand, ‱)—each represents a different scale.
⚡ Quick Reference — Percent Sign
U+0025Basic Latin (U+0020–U+007F)
%Hexadecimal reference
%Decimal reference
%Standard HTML named entity
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+0025
Hex code %
HTML code %
Named entity %
CSS code \25
Meaning Percent sign (parts per hundred)
Example 25% off
Related U+2030 = per mille (‰, ‰)
U+2031 = per ten thousand (‱, ‱)
Block Basic Latin (U+0020–U+007F)Complete HTML Example
A simple example showing % using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the named entity, and a CSS content escape:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point::after{
content: "\25";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Percent (hex): %</p>
<p>Percent (decimal): %</p>
<p>Percent (named): %</p>
<p>Discount: 25% off</p>
<p id="point">Percent (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The Percent sign (%) is universally supported in all browsers:
👀 Live Preview
See the Percent sign (%) in common content contexts:
🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
% uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 25 to display the percent sign.
Decimal HTML Code
% uses the decimal Unicode value 37 for the same character.
Named Entity
% is the standard HTML named entity for U+0025—readable and widely supported.
CSS Entity
\25 is used in CSS stylesheets in the content property of pseudo-elements for decorative markers.
Percent sign result
All four methods render %. Unicode U+0025 in Basic Latin. Next: Period (.).
Use Cases
The Percent sign (%) is commonly used in:
Interest rates, discounts, tax labels, and pricing tables.
Survey results, poll data, and percent-sign breakdowns in dashboards.
Completion bars, upload progress, and loading indicators.
Sale badges, coupon labels, and promotional banners.
Encode % as % or % in query strings when needed.
Pair values with context (e.g. “25 percent”) for screen reader clarity.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Prefer
%in HTML for readability when a named entity fits - Use
%or%in URLs or attributes where % may be ambiguous - Place the number before the symbol (e.g.
25%) - Set
<meta charset="utf-8">for reliable rendering - Distinguish % from per mille ‰ and per ten thousand ‱
Don’t
- Confuse % with per mille ‰ or per ten thousand ‱
- Use padded CSS notation like
\00025when\25suffices for U+0025 - Use CSS escape
\25in HTML text nodes - Leave raw % unencoded in URL query strings when it could be parsed incorrectly
- Assume “percent-sign” and the % symbol are interchangeable in all locales without context
Key Takeaways
Four ways to render U+0025 in web content
% % %For CSS stylesheets, use \25 in the content property
Unicode U+0025 — PERCENT SIGN in Basic Latin
Distinct from per mille ‰ and per ten thousand ‱
Previous: Per Mille (‰) Next: Period (.)
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
% (hex), % (decimal), % (named entity), or \25 in CSS content. All four render %.U+0025 (PERCENT SIGN). Basic Latin block (U+0020–U+007F). Hex 25, decimal 37, named entity percnt.‰, parts per thousand). They are different characters at different scales.% or % when % could be misread in URLs, attributes, or templating contexts. In plain text content, typing % directly is usually fine with UTF-8.% is the HTML named entity for U+0025 (percent sign). It renders as % and is often the most readable choice in HTML markup.Explore More HTML Entities!
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