What is my market share?
Enter your sales and the total sales of your market, in dollars or units, to see your market share. Add your largest competitor's sales to see their share and your relative market share.
- Market share
- 5%
Sales of 1,000,000 out of total market sales of 20,000,000 are a market share of 5%.
- Competitors’ share
- 95%
- Largest competitor’s share
- 7.5%
- Relative market share
- 66.67%
Market share: 5%. Sales of 1,000,000 out of total market sales of 20,000,000 are a market share of 5%.
The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use
How to calculate
Computes market share: your sales as a percent of the total sales in your market, in dollars or units, with the relative market share against your largest competitor.
Example with the default inputs (Your sales 1,000,000, Total market sales 20,000,000, Largest competitor’s sales 1,500,000): Sales of 1,000,000 out of total market sales of 20,000,000 are a market share of 5%.
Method: Market share = your sales ÷ total market sales × 100; relative market share = your sales ÷ largest competitor’s sales × 100, which equals your share ÷ their share × 100.
- Your sales, the market total and the competitor’s sales use the same measure (dollars or units) and the same period.
- The total market sales include your own sales.
- Arithmetic is exact on the typed decimals; the shares show to 2 decimals.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Your sales 1,000,000, Total market sales 20,000,000, Largest competitor’s sales 1,500,000 gives Market share 5%, Competitors’ share 95%, Largest competitor’s share 7.5%, Relative market share 66.666667%.Source: OpenStax, Principles of Marketing, 2.4 Marketing Plan Progress Using Metrics (market share in a category = the company’s sales ÷ the total sales in the category; relative market share = your share ÷ your leading competitor’s share). https://openstax.org/books/principles-marketing/pages/2-4-marketing-plan-progress-using-metrics: $1 million a year is a 5% share
- Your sales 4,500, Total market sales 30,000 gives Market share 15%, Competitors’ share 85%.Source: OpenStax, Principles of Marketing, 2.4 Marketing Plan Progress Using Metrics (market share in a category = the company’s sales ÷ the total sales in the category; relative market share = your share ÷ your leading competitor’s share). https://openstax.org/books/principles-marketing/pages/2-4-marketing-plan-progress-using-metrics
- Your sales 6,000,000, Total market sales 20,000,000, Largest competitor’s sales 4,000,000 gives Market share 30%, Largest competitor’s share 20%, Relative market share 150%.Source: OpenStax, Principles of Marketing, 2.4 Marketing Plan Progress Using Metrics (market share in a category = the company’s sales ÷ the total sales in the category; relative market share = your share ÷ your leading competitor’s share). https://openstax.org/books/principles-marketing/pages/2-4-marketing-plan-progress-using-metrics
How it works
With your sales Y, the total sales of the market M (yours included), and your largest competitor's sales L:
- Market share = Y ÷ M × 100
- Competitors' share = (M − Y) ÷ M × 100, which is 100 − your market share
- Largest competitor's share = L ÷ M × 100
- Relative market share = your share ÷ their share × 100 = Y ÷ L × 100
The competitor's sales are optional. Leave the box empty to see only your market share.
Rules:
- Your sales are 0 to 1 quadrillion, and the total market sales more than 0 and at most 1 quadrillion. Your sales more than the total gives no answer, because the total includes your sales.
- The largest competitor's sales, when you enter them, are more than 0, and your sales plus theirs cannot be more than the total.
- A result too large or too small to show as a number gives no answer.
- The arithmetic is exact on the decimals you type. The shares show to 2 decimals.
Assumptions
- Every figure uses the same measure (dollars or units) and the same period.
- If you are the largest company, enter the sales of the next largest as the largest competitor.
Worked examples by hand
An appliance store (OpenStax). Your store sells Y = $1,000,000 a year, a 5% share of a market of M = $20,000,000. Market share = 1,000,000 ÷ 20,000,000 × 100 = 5%, and the competitors have 95%. The top store in the area sells L = $1,500,000, a share of 1,500,000 ÷ 20,000,000 × 100 = 7.5%. Relative market share = 1,000,000 ÷ 1,500,000 × 100 = 66.666…, shown as 66.67%. OpenStax rounds the leader's share to 8% and writes 5% ÷ 8% = 66%; from the sales, the leader's share is 7.5% and the result is 66.67%.
Units sold. Y = 4,500 units of M = 30,000. Market share = 4,500 ÷ 30,000 × 100 = 15%, and the competitors have 85%.
The market leader. Y = $6,000,000 of M = $20,000,000 is a 30% share. The next largest company sells L = $4,000,000, a 20% share, so the relative market share is 30 ÷ 20 × 100 = 150%.
Other questions people ask
What is market share?
Market share is the part of all the sales in a market that one company makes, written as a percent. A company with $1 million of sales in a $20 million market has a 5% market share.
How do I calculate market share?
Divide your sales by the total sales in the market for the same period, and multiply by 100. Selling 4,500 units in a market of 30,000 units is 4,500 ÷ 30,000 × 100 = 15%.
Should I use dollars or units?
Either, as long as your sales and the market total use the same one. A share in dollars and a share in units can differ: a company selling dearer products has a larger share of the dollars than of the units.
What is relative market share?
Relative market share compares your share with your largest competitor's: your share divided by theirs, times 100. Because both shares are out of the same total, it is the same as your sales divided by theirs. Selling $1 million against the leader's $1.5 million is a relative market share of 66.67%.
What does a relative market share above 100% mean?
It means you lead the market. If you are the largest company, compare yourself with the next largest: $6 million of sales against their $4 million is a relative market share of 150%.
Where do I find the total market sales?
Industry associations, government statistics such as the U.S. Census Bureau's economic surveys, and market research reports publish market totals. Make sure the total covers the same products, region and period as your own sales.