How to Calculate Relative Frequency in Statistics: Step-by-Step Guide and Examples

relative frequency

Relative frequency is a concept used in statistics to describe the proportion or percentage of data values that fall into a particular category or range

Relative frequency is a concept used in statistics to describe the proportion or percentage of data values that fall into a particular category or range. It is a way of comparing the frequency of a specific event or category to the total number of events or observations.

To calculate the relative frequency of a specific category, you need to divide the frequency of that category by the total number of observations and multiply it by 100 to express it as a percentage.

The formula for calculating relative frequency is:

Relative Frequency = (Frequency of the Category / Total Number of Observations) x 100

For example, let’s say you are conducting a survey to collect data on people’s favorite colors. You have collected responses from 200 individuals and have categorized the colors into four categories: red, blue, green, and yellow. The frequency of each category is as follows: red (65), blue (45), green (30), and yellow (60).

To find the relative frequency of the color red, you would divide the frequency of red (65) by the total number of observations (200) and then multiply by 100:

Relative Frequency of Red = (65/200) x 100 = 0.325 x 100 = 32.5%

So, the relative frequency of the color red is 32.5%. This means that approximately 32.5% of the respondents chose red as their favorite color.

You can repeat this calculation for each category to find the relative frequencies for blue, green, and yellow as well.

Relative Frequency of Blue = (45/200) x 100 = 0.225 x 100 = 22.5%
Relative Frequency of Green = (30/200) x 100 = 0.15 x 100 = 15%
Relative Frequency of Yellow = (60/200) x 100 = 0.3 x 100 = 30%

It is important to note that the sum of all relative frequencies for all categories should always equal 100%.

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