Accuracy percentage is a metric that is used to measure the accuracy of a predicted value relative to an actual value.
The closer the accuracy percentage is to100%, the closer the predicted value is to the actual value.
The following step-by-step example shows how to calculate accuracy percentage in Excel.
Step 1: Create the Data
First, let’s create a dataset that shows the predicted sales vs. actual sales in six different regions for some company:
Step 2: Calculate Accuracy Percentage
Suppose we would like to calculate the accuracy percentage of each predicted sales value relative to the actual sales value for each region.
To do so, we can type the following formula into cell D2:
=1-ABS(B2/C2-1)
We can then click and drag this value down to each remaining cell in column D:
Step 3: Format Values as Percentage
Lastly, highlight the range D2:D7 and then click the percent ( % ) symbol within the Number group on the Home tab:
The values in column D will now be formatted as percentages:
Column D shows the accuracy percentage of each predicted sales value relative to the actual sales value.
The closer the accuracy percentage is to 100%, the closer the predicted sales value was relative to the actual sales values.
An accuracy percentage of 100% means that the predicted value perfectly matched the actual value.
Additional Resources
The following tutorials explain how to perform other common operations in Excel:
How to Create a Sales Forecast in Excel
How to Perform Naive Forecasting in Excel
How to Construct a Prediction Interval in Excel
