Excel function · Statistics
AVERAGE
Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of numbers.
What it does
AVERAGE adds up the numbers you give it and divides by how many there are. Text and empty cells in a range are skipped, but zeros count.
Syntax
=AVERAGE(number1, [number2], …)Arguments in square brackets are optional, and … means you can add more of the same. In this Excel language, arguments are separated by ,
Arguments
- number
- The first number, cell or range. Add more arguments to include other ranges.
Example
Four students took a test. What is their average score?
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student | Score |
| 2 | Ana | 78 |
| 3 | Ben | 85 |
| 4 | Kai | 91 |
| 5 | Lia | 70 |
| 6 | Average | 81 |
The formula in B6:
=AVERAGE(B2:B5)Result: 81
78 + 85 + 91 + 70 = 324, and 324 divided by 4 scores is 81.
Common mistakes
- Typing 0 for a missing result. A zero counts and pulls the average down; leave the cell empty instead.
- Averaging averages. The average of two group averages is only right when the groups are the same size.
- Using it on data with a few extreme values, such as salaries.
MEDIANis often the fairer middle.
In other Excel languages
Excel translates function names, and in some languages the argument separator too. Type the name your Excel shows.
| Excel language | Function name | Separator |
|---|---|---|
| English | AVERAGE | , |
| Deutsch | MITTELWERT | ; |
| Français | MOYENNE | ; |
| Español (España) | PROMEDIO | ; |
| Español (México) | PROMEDIO | , |
| 日本語 | AVERAGE | , |
| 한국어 | AVERAGE | , |
| 繁體中文 | AVERAGE | , |
| ไทย | AVERAGE | , |
| ខ្មែរ | AVERAGE | , |
| Tiếng Việt | AVERAGE | ; |