How to use this average calculator
Enter your numbers above (any separators work) and press Calculate for the average (mean), with the sum and count shown so you can audit the arithmetic.
The average, honestly explained
An average answers the question: if this total were shared equally, what would each share be? That is all the mean ever claims, and it is a genuinely useful fiction. No individual day needs to match it for it to budget your month correctly.
One notebook, five shops: Rs 120, 135, 128, 142 and 125. Total Rs 650, divided by 5 shops gives an average price of Rs 130. No shop actually charges 130 (two charge less, three charge more), yet "about 130" is exactly the figure you would budget for buying one.
Three averages, one word
"Average" informally covers the mean, median and mode. In maths and statistics questions it means the mean unless stated otherwise. But when a headline says "average salary", a careful reader asks which average: a median resists the pull of a few enormous salaries in a way the mean cannot.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate an average?
Add all the numbers and divide by how many there are. The average of 120, 135, 128, 142 and 125 is 650 ÷ 5 = 130.
Is average the same as mean?
In everyday and school usage, yes: 'average' almost always means the arithmetic mean. Median and mode are also averages in the wider sense.
Can an average be a decimal if all values are whole numbers?
Yes. The average of 1 and 2 is 1.5. An average is a balance point, not a data point.