Formulas and functions > Functions from A to Z > VAR.P (variance of entire population)

Syntax:

VAR.P(Number1, Number2 [, Number3 ...])

Description:

This returns the variance of an entire population.

Number1, Number2, etc., are single values, cell ranges, or arrays containing the values to be evaluated. Please note that all values of the entire population have to be specified. To calculate the variance of a sample, use the VAR.S/VAR function instead. This returns an estimate of the variance.

If this function refers to empty cells or cells with error values, they are ignored. Likewise, cells that contain text strings or logical values, but these can be entered directly into the list of arguments and thus taken into account.

Note:

The variance is calculated using the "biased" or "n" method.

Example:

VAR.P(2, 2, 3, 4, 1) returns 1.04

Compatibility notes:

Microsoft Excel supports this function only in version 2010 or later. The function is unknown in older versions.