Coefficient of variation

The coefficient of variation (CV) is the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean and shows the extent of variability in relation to the mean of the population. The higher the CV, the greater the dispersion.

1. What is coefficient variation used for?
2. What is a good coefficient of variation?
3. What if coefficient of variation is greater than 1?
4. What does a coefficient of variation of 50% mean?

What is coefficient variation used for?

The most common use of the coefficient of variation is to assess the precision of a technique. It is also used as a measure of variability when the standard deviation is proportional to the mean, and as a means to compare variability of measurements made in different units.

What is a good coefficient of variation?

CVs of 5% or less generally give us a feeling of good method performance, whereas CVs of 10% and higher sound bad. However, you should look carefully at the mean value before judging a CV. At very low concentrations, the CV may be high and at high concentrations the CV may be low.

What if coefficient of variation is greater than 1?

If the coefficient of variation is greater than 1, it shows relatively high variability in the data sets. On the flip side, a CV lower than 1 is considered to be low-variance.

What does a coefficient of variation of 50% mean?

A CV of 0.5 means the standard deviation is half as large as the mean. A CV of 1 means the standard deviation is equal to the mean.