📜 History & Discovery
Ancient Romans taxed goods using fractions with denominator 100 — the precursor to percentages. In medieval Europe moneylenders quoted interest "per hundred." Simon Stevin (1548–1620) formalised decimal notation, making percentage calculations standard across European commerce.
⚡ 2026 Update
India's CPI-based inflation is reported as a % change every month — and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics literally uses the percentage-change formula to publish it. When the news says "inflation rose 1.83%", they ran ((New − Old) / Old) × 100 over the basket. The same formula is on every Bank PO paper.