Syntax
VARP(value1, [value2, ...])
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| value1 | Parameter of the VARP function. |
| [value2 | (Optional.) Parameter of the VARP function. |
| ...] | Parameter of the VARP function. |
Examples
Population variance
Formula
=VARP(A2:A100)
Returns the population variance for 99 values. Same result as VAR.P(A2:A100).
Direct values
Formula
=VARP(10, 20, 30)
Returns 66.67 — the population variance of three values (mean=20, deviations are -10, 0, +10, sum of squares = 200, divided by 3).
Complete data set
Formula
=VARP(C2:C12)
If these 11 values represent the entire group (e.g., all months in a fiscal year), VARP gives the correct population variance.
Common Errors
#DIV/0!
No numeric values found in the arguments.
#VALUE!
Non-numeric direct arguments.
Tips
Use VAR.P instead
VARP is retained for backward compatibility. VAR.P is the preferred modern function with the same behavior.
Square root gives STDEVP
SQRT(VARP(data)) equals STDEVP(data). Choose variance or standard deviation based on which unit (squared or original) your analysis needs.
Nearly identical to VAR.S for large n
As sample size grows, the difference between VARP and VAR shrinks. With 1000+ data points, the results are nearly indistinguishable.
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