What does centile mean?
The centile is a statistical measure used to express a value as a percentage of a distribution. It is a way to understand the position of a value within a dataset, with 1 being the lowest value and 100 being the highest. The centile is often used in conjunction with other statistical measures, such as the median and mean, to gain a deeper understanding of a dataset. In everyday language, the centile is used to describe the position of a value within a group, such as the 50th centile indicating that half of the group falls below this value. The centile is a useful tool for understanding and comparing data, and is widely used in fields such as medicine, finance, and education.
nounA centile is a statistical measure that represents the value below which a certain percentage of a distribution falls. It is a way to express a value as a percentage of the total distribution, with 1 being the lowest value and 100 being the highest.
- 1. A statistical measure representing the value below which a certain percentage of a distribution falls.
"The median income is around the 50th centile, indicating that half of the population earns more than this amount and half earns less."
"The 25th centile of the test scores indicates that 25% of the students scored below this value."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of centile
The word 'centile' comes from the Latin 'centum', meaning 'hundred', and the suffix '-ile', which forms an adjective. The term 'centile' was first used in the 17th century to describe a statistical measure that represents the value below which a certain percentage of a distribution falls.
Usage notes
The centile is often used in formal and technical contexts, such as in academic and professional settings. It is also used in everyday language to describe the position of a value within a group.