Which function should be used in Google Sheets to calculate population standard deviation?

Conditions

• The dataset represents the entire population, not a sample.
• The data consists of numeric values.

Reasoning, step by step

1. Enter the equals sign in the target cell.
2. Type STDEVP and select it from the autocomplete list.
3. Specify the range of numeric data as the argument (e.g., B2:M2).
4. Press Enter to calculate the result.

Example

The user types =STDE in O2, and the autocomplete list shows STDEV, STDEVA, STDEVP, STDEVPA; STDEVP is finally selected. The formula =STDEVP(B2:M2) yields 5.19 for Taipei.

Common misconceptions

• Confusing STDEVP with STDEV, which calculates sample standard deviation.
• Assuming all standard deviation functions are interchangeable regardless of whether the data is a sample or population.

Watch the explanation

Connected concepts

Explore next

• Why does the screen show STDEV, STDEVA, STDEVP, STDEVPA, but the video chooses STDEVP?
• Where is the difference between population standard deviation and sample standard deviation?