The average is obtained by adding up the numbers in a set and dividing by the number of numbers in the set. For example, the average of the numbers (9, 5, 10 and 6) is 7.5. Here are the steps to calculate the average:

You can calculate the average using the Average Calculator below.

Average Calculator: Find the Average Easily

With this simple calculator you can calculate the average of the numbers. Write your number in the text box and separate them with a comma (,). If your numbers contain decimals, use a period as a separator (for example, 3.5).

Average:

Calculation formula (sum of items/number of items = average):

 

Figures in ascending order:

What is the average for?

Averaging can be a good way to estimate the average value of numbers of approximately the same size. This is particularly useful when numbers are selected from a predefined set, for example in Finnish school grades (numbers 4–10) or other grading systems.

Calculating the average of grades

Select the subjects for which you want to calculate the average. For example, you can calculate the average of all the grades on your certificate or just the average of the STEM subjects.

Example: averages of the human body

In large populations, human bodies can be compared using averages. For example, you can calculate the average height of Finns.

Note, however, that the average is not always very descriptive. Children and adults are of different sizes, so the average for all Finns does not reflect children or adults, but something in between.

When is the average not a good benchmark?

The average is heavily skewed by numbers that are different from the rest of the set. Imagine a situation where Bill Gates visits the University of Oulu. If you calculate the average wealth of the people in the lecture hall, it is far too high and does not reflect the thickness of the average participant’s wallet.

A better reference point than the mean is often the median, i.e. the middle value.