STDEV.P
Calculates the standard deviation based on the entire population. Modern replacement for the legacy STDEVP function.
STDEV.P(number1, [number2], ...)Arguments
number1First numeric value or range representing the entire population.number2Optional. Up to 254 additional numbers, references, or arrays.(optional)
=STDEV.P(10, 20, 30, 40, 50)Population standard deviation of 5 values
- •Available since Excel 2010 — same result as the legacy STDEVP
- •Divides by n (no Bessel's correction)
- •Use STDEV.S if your data is only a sample
- •Ignores text and logical values
- •Using STDEV.P (population standard deviation) when the data is actually just a sample of a larger population - this uses the wrong divisor (n instead of n-1) and slightly understates the true spread of the full population
- •Confusing STDEV.P with STDEV.S - STDEV.P assumes your data is the entire population, while STDEV.S assumes it's a sample, and the two give noticeably different results, especially for small datasets
- •Forgetting that STDEV.P ignores text and logical values entirely - if those need to be included in the calculation, STDEVA has a population-equivalent counterpart, STDEVPA
STDEV.SCalculates sample standard deviation using n-1 as the divisor, appropriate when your data is a subset rather than the entire population.VAR.PCalculates population variance, the squared value that STDEV.P takes the square root of.STDEVPAIncludes text (as 0) and logical values when calculating population standard deviation, unlike STDEV.P which ignores them entirely.Should I use STDEV.P or STDEV.S?
Use STDEV.P only when your data genuinely represents an entire population, not a sample - this is less common than you might think. For most real-world analysis involving a subset of data, STDEV.S is the correct choice.
Is STDEV.P the same as the legacy STDEVP function?
Yes, they produce identical results - STDEV.P is simply the modern, more clearly named equivalent, kept alongside STDEVP mainly for consistency with other newer statistical function names.
Why does STDEV.P give a smaller result than STDEV.S for the same data?
STDEV.P divides by n while STDEV.S divides by n-1, so STDEV.P always returns a value less than or equal to STDEV.S for identical data - the difference shrinks as the dataset grows larger.
Need to translate a formula using STDEV.P?
Use our translator to convert your complete formula