Per cent means 'out of 100'

The sign % stands for 'per cent' which means 'out of 100'.

So:

• 40% means 40 out of 100
• 11% means 11 out of 100

To work out the percentage of this shape that is shaded, you must first work out what each part represents.

There are 20 equal parts, so each part represents 5%.
100% (the whole) ÷ 20 = 5%
6 of the parts are…