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 percentage 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 “percentage” 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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