Percentages in French
Pour Cent, Virgule, Spaced Decimals
Updated May 2026
French percentages combine three formatting conventions that all differ from English. The decimal separator is a comma (virgule) not a point. The percent sign sits at a non-breaking space distance from the number (3,5 % not 3.5%). And the construction pour cent is invariable: cent never takes the plural-s in this expression, even when multiplied. Get these three right and your written French percentages will look correctly typeset; get any one wrong and the text will read as transparently translated from English.
This page covers the typographic and grammatical rules, the spoken form (trois virgule cinq pour cent for 3.5%), the common fractional alternatives that everyday French speakers use instead of percentages (un quart for 25%, la moitié for 50%, un tiers for ~33%), and the standard phrasing for percentage growth and change as used in journalism, statistics, and finance.
The Three Formatting Rules
Rule 1: virgule for decimals. The English-language decimal point is replaced in French by the comma. 3,5 % means “three point five percent”. 0,1 % is “zero point one percent”. 12,75 % is “twelve point seven five percent”. The same comma rule applies to all decimal numbers, not just percentages: pi is 3,14, the dollar-euro exchange rate might be 1,08, etc. See the dedicated decimals in French page for the full virgule rule.
Rule 2: spaced % sign. The percent symbol takes a non-breaking space (espace insécable) between the number and itself. Correct: 5 %, 3,5 %, 100 %. Incorrect: 5%, 3,5%. This is the rule of the Légifrance publishing standard, the Imprimerie nationale style guide, the BIPM SI brochure, and major French press. The non-breaking nature is important: it prevents the % from being orphaned at the start of a new line.
Rule 3: pour cent invariable. The expression pour cent is treated as a fixed compound: cent does not take a plural-s no matter what number precedes it. Trois pour cent, cent pour cent, deux cents pour cent would be wrong (deux cent pour cent is right; the s drops because pour cent immediately follows). The OQLF Banque de dépannage linguistique documents the invariable rule. This makes pour cent simpler to write than cent standing alone (which has the conditional plural-s rule).
Reference Table
| Value | French | Fractional alternative | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 % | un pour cent | ||
| 5 % | cinq pour cent | ||
| 10 % | dix pour cent | un dixième | |
| 20 % | vingt pour cent | un cinquième | |
| 25 % | vingt-cinq pour cent | un quart | |
| 33 % | trente-trois pour cent | un tiers (~33,3 %) | |
| 50 % | cinquante pour cent | la moitié | |
| 66 % | soixante-six pour cent | deux tiers (~66,6 %) | |
| 75 % | soixante-quinze pour cent | trois quarts | |
| 90 % | quatre-vingt-dix pour cent | neuf dixièmes | |
| 100 % | cent pour cent | la totalité | |
| 3,5 % | trois virgule cinq pour cent | ||
| 0,5 % | zéro virgule cinq pour cent | un demi-pour-cent |
Fractional Alternatives in Everyday Speech
French speakers often use fractional vocabulary in everyday speech where percentages would feel formal or pedantic. Un quart means a quarter (25%), la moitié means half (50%), trois quarts means three quarters (75%), un tiers means a third (33.3%), deux tiers means two thirds (66.7%). These are the working units of casual quantitative talk: la moitié des Français (half of French people), un tiers des entreprises (a third of companies), un quart de la population (a quarter of the population).
For finer fractions, French uses the ordinal-derived form: un cinquième (a fifth, 20%), un sixième (a sixth, ~16.7%), un dixième (a tenth, 10%), un centième (a hundredth, 1%). Pluralised: deux cinquièmes (two fifths, 40%), trois huitièmes (three eighths, 37.5%). See the dedicated fractions page for the full irregular and regular fractional forms.
For very small or very precise fractions in scientific or technical writing, French uses the percentage form: 0,001 % rather than un cent-millième. The fractional vocabulary tops out around hundredths in everyday speech; percentages and scientific notation take over for finer precision.
Percentage Growth and Change
Talking about increase: une augmentation de 5 %, une hausse de 5 %, une croissance de 2,3 %, un bond de 10 % (a jump of 10%), une envolée des prix de 15 % (a 15% price surge). The verb form is augmenter de or progresser de or grimper de followed by the percentage.
Talking about decrease: une baisse de 3 %, un recul de 1,5 %, une chute de 8 % (an 8% drop), une dégringolade de 12 % (a 12% plunge), un effondrement de 25 % (a 25% collapse). Verb forms: baisser de, reculer de, chuter de, diminuer de.
Distinguishing percentage points from percentages is important. Le taux de chômage est passé de 8 % à 7 % can be described as une baisse d’un point de pourcentage (a 1-percentage-point drop) or as une baisse de 12,5 % (a 12.5% relative decrease, since 1/8 = 12.5%). Both are correct but they say different things. Major French press uses both, often together, for clarity.
For finance and central banking, the unit is the point de base (basis point, abbreviated pdb or bp). One basis point = 0.01% = one hundredth of a percentage point. La BCE a relevé son taux directeur de 25 points de base means “the ECB raised its policy rate by 25 basis points”, i.e. by 0.25 percentage points. Banking and financial-market reporting in French uses points de base extensively.
Common Phrases with Percentages
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Une remise de 20 % | A 20% discount |
| TVA à 20 % | 20% VAT |
| TVA réduite à 5,5 % | Reduced 5.5% VAT (food, books) |
| Le taux d'inflation est de 3,2 % | The inflation rate is 3.2% |
| Le chômage à 7,1 % | Unemployment at 7.1% |
| Une participation électorale de 65 % | A 65% turnout |
| 50 % des sondés | 50% of those surveyed |
| À 100 % | 100% / completely |
| Pour cent (%) du PIB | Percentage of GDP |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you write a percentage in French?
Number, then a non-breaking space, then the % sign. Example: 3,5 %. Note three things: the comma (virgule) replaces the English decimal point; there is a space between the number and the % sign; the % sign is invariable. The Imprimerie nationale style guide and Légifrance both prescribe the spaced form.
Why is "pour cent" always singular?
Because pour cent is treated as a fixed expression meaning "for each hundred", not as a multiplied count. So you say trois pour cent (3%), cinquante pour cent (50%), cent pour cent (100%), with cent invariable in this expression. The s never appears on cent in the pour cent construction, even when multiplied by another number.
How do you say a percentage in French?
Trois pour cent (3%), trois virgule cinq pour cent (3.5%), cinquante pour cent (50%), cent pour cent (100%). The word for the % symbol when read aloud is "pour cent". For the decimal point in 3.5, say virgule.
Why is it "3,5 %" with a space in French?
French typographic convention requires a non-breaking space between a number and most units (%, kg, km, m, etc.). The Imprimerie nationale style guide and the BIPM SI brochure both prescribe this. Without the space, a French reader sees the figure as visually crowded and slightly malformed. Some modern publications use a non-breaking space that does not display as a regular space, but the spacing is always there in correctly-typeset French.
How do you say a fractional or comparative percentage like 25%, 33%, 50%?
25% = vingt-cinq pour cent or "un quart" (a quarter, 25%). 33% = trente-trois pour cent or "un tiers" (a third, ~33.3%). 50% = cinquante pour cent or "la moitié" (half). 75% = soixante-quinze pour cent or "trois quarts" (three quarters). The fractional forms (un quart, un tiers, la moitié, trois quarts) are common in everyday speech where exact percentages would be pedantic.
What does "pour mille" mean in French?
Pour mille (per thousand, written ‰) is rare in French outside specific technical contexts. The most famous use is the alcohol-blood-content limit for driving: 0,5 g/L (0.5 grams per litre) is informally written 0,5 ‰. The pour mille notation is also used in salinity (sea water at 35 ‰), and in some medical and scientific measurements. In everyday French, percentages dominate.
How do you express percentage growth or change in French?
Une augmentation de 5 % (a 5% increase), une baisse de 3 % (a 3% decrease), une croissance de 2,3 % (2.3% growth), un recul de 1,5 % (a 1.5% decline). For changes in basis points (banking and finance), use point de base or pdb: la BCE a relevé son taux de 25 points de base (the ECB raised its rate by 25 bps).