protsentpunkti

Protsentpunkti is the Estonian term for the unit known in English as a percentage point. It describes the absolute difference between two percentages and is equal to one part in a hundred (0.01 in decimal terms).

A key feature of percentage points is that they express a change in level, not a relative change. For example, an increase from 30% to 35% is a 5 percentage point increase, even though the relative increase is 5/30 ≈ 16.7%. Similarly, a drop from 60% to 55% is a 5 percentage point decrease. Reporting in percentage points avoids ambiguity that can arise when using phrases like “increased by X%.”

Calculation and interpretation: The change in percentage points is simply p2 − p1, where p1 and p2 are the initial and final percentages. If a relative change is needed, it is computed as (p2 − p1)/p1 × 100%.

Usage: The term is widely used in statistics, surveys, economics, journalism, and policy analysis to describe shifts in proportions, such as poll results, voter turnout, unemployment rates, or interest rates. In writing, it is clearly stated as a change of a certain number of percentage points (for example, “an increase of 4 percentage points”), rather than as a percentage change.

Notes: In Estonian texts, protsentpunkti is the genitive form of protsentpunkt. The concept is parallel to other languages’ “percentage point” terminology and serves to communicate absolute changes in percentages unambiguously.