There is no space between the percent sign (%) and the number in English language. In other European languages there is. However, it is common to leave the space out.
The use of a space between the number and the percent sign is standardized in both the current international standard ISO 80000 and its predecessor ISO 31.
According to this standard, the percent sign follows the same principles as other units (e.g. "25 °C"), i.e. the number comes first, then a space, and finally the percent sign, e.g. "50 %".
In Turkish and related languages, the percent sign is written before the number, e.g. "%50".
In Arabic language, % is also written to the right of the number, but this is because Arabic is written from right to left. Therefore in Arabic language as well, the percent sign is written after the number.
In English language the custom, on the other hand, is to write the percent sign immediately after the number, without a space. This custom is therefore contrary to current international standards. However, it reflects the connection between the number and the unit. In English, it is also customary to write the number and the unit together. Examples are $50, €20, £15 or 32°F and 100°C. Similarly, at least in Vietnamese, Afrikaans and Filipino, the percent sign is written without a space after the number.
In European languages, the percent sign may also be written without a space in some cases. When numbers are presented in tables where there is little space, it is natural to write the percent sign next to the number. In other contexts, the space may also be omitted. This is probably due to the influence of the English writing style.
In Dutch and Bulgarian languages, the practice is not to use a space. In Hungarian and Estonian languages, the space also seems to be generally omitted. In Czech language there is a space, but if the percentage is an adjective, the space is omitted.
Instead of the percent sign (%) in text, it is recommended to use the word "percent" in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish and Icelandic languages.
The word "percent" and the percent sign are more or less equally recommended in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Dutch languages.
The percent sign is also recommended in text in English, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Serbian and Croatian languages, as well as in Asian languages in general.
Author:
Sources and additional information:
Wikipedia: Percent sign
Wikipedia: ISO 80000
Wikipedia: ISO 31-0
NIST Special Publication 811
Svenska språknämnden
Norsk språkråd
Dansk Sprognævn
Kotimaisten kielten keskus
Türk Dil Kurumu
EU Interinstitutional Style Guide
Unicode Standard
Ethnologue
Chicago Manual of Style
Published: 22.8.2025
How to write a percent: language and country-specific tables
Percents are written differently in different parts of the world and in different languages. The writing style can be, for example, '75.6%', '75,6%', '75.6 %', '75,6 %' or even '%75.6'. See the writing rules in the tables that list almost all countries and languages in the world.
Decimal separator and thousand separator
In English-speaking countries, a dot is used as a decimal separator. The European custom is to use a comma. A dot, comma, or space are used as thousand separators in different parts of the world. See the table for the practices of each country.