Formula Guide

The Excel VARP Function
explained simply

VARP calculates variance for an entire population — use it only when your data covers every member of the group, not a sample.

ExcelPro · 4 min read · Updated June 2026
Contents
  1. What does VARP do?
  2. Syntax
  3. 3 examples
  4. VARP vs VAR
  5. FAQ

What does VARP do?

VARP measures how spread out a set of numbers is, assuming the data represents the entire population rather than a sample drawn from a larger group.

The distinction matters because the formula divides by a slightly different number depending on whether you are working with a full population or a sample — using the wrong one understates or overstates spread.

Syntax

=VARP(number1, [number2], ...)
ArgumentDescription
number1 requiredA number or range representing the entire population.
number2, ... optionalAdditional numbers or ranges.

Examples

Example 1
Variance of all employees' salaries
=VARP(A2:A50)

Use VARP only if A2:A50 genuinely contains every employee, not a sample of them.

Example 2
Variance of exam scores for an entire class
=VARP(B2:B30)

Appropriate if B2:B30 is every student, not a subset.

Example 3
Compare to sample variance
=VAR(A2:A50)

If A2:A50 is actually a sample meant to represent a larger population, use VAR instead — it will return a slightly larger number.

VARP vs VAR — which to use

Your dataUse
Every member of the group is includedVARP (population)
A sample meant to represent a larger groupVAR (sample)

In most real business analysis, you are working with a sample (this month's customers, not all customers ever), so VAR is the more commonly correct choice. VARP is reserved for cases where your dataset truly is the whole population.

Common mistakes

⚠️ Defaulting to VARP without checking

Most real datasets are samples, not full populations — VAR is the safer default unless you are certain otherwise.

FAQ

Does the choice between VAR and VARP matter much in practice?
For large datasets the difference shrinks. For small datasets (under ~30 rows), the gap between VAR and VARP can be meaningful.

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Related formulas

VAR STDEV STDEVP