How to use GEOMEAN Google Sheets formula?

The syntax for the GEOMEAN formula is =GEOMEAN(value1, value2), it has 1 required parameter.

GEOMEAN

The GEOMEAN formula calculates the geometric mean, which is the nth root of the product of n numbers. It is commonly used to calculate average growth rates or ratios. The formula can take any number of arguments, but at least one argument is required.

How to use GEOMEAN formula?
Examples of using GEOMEAN formula
GEOMEAN formula not working?
Similar formulas to GEOMEAN

Usage

Use the GEOMEAN formula with the syntax shown below, it has 1 required parameter:

=GEOMEAN(value1, value2)

Parameters:

value1, value2, ... (required):
The numerical values for which to calculate the geometric mean. There must be at least one value.

Examples

Here are a few example use cases that explain how to use the GEOMEAN formula in Google Sheets.

Calculate average growth rate

To calculate the average growth rate over a period of time, you can use GEOMEAN to find the nth root of the product of (1 + growth rate) for each period minus 1.

Calculate ratios

GEOMEAN can be used to calculate the average of ratios, such as debt-to-income ratios or expense-to-revenue ratios.

Calculate average return

To calculate the average return on an investment portfolio, you can use GEOMEAN to find the nth root of the product of (1 + return) for each period minus 1.

Common Mistakes

GEOMEAN not working? Here are some common mistakes people make when using the GEOMEAN Google Sheets Formula:

Incorrect values

One of the values provided is not a number or is a negative number. GEOMEAN only works with positive numbers.

Empty cells

If any of the cells containing the values are empty, GEOMEAN will return an error.

Too many arguments

GEOMEAN only takes up to 30 arguments. If you provide more than 30, it will return an error.

Not enough arguments

GEOMEAN requires at least 2 arguments. If you provide less than 2, it will return an error.

Zero values

If any of the values provided are zero, GEOMEAN will return an error.

The following functions are similar to GEOMEAN or are often used with it in a formula:

AVERAGE
The AVERAGE function calculates the average (arithmetic mean) of the values passed to it. It is commonly used to find the average of a range of cells containing numerical data.
MEDIAN
The MEDIAN function returns the median (middle) value of a set of numbers. It is commonly used to find the middle value in a range of data points. If the number of data points is even, it returns the average of the two middle values. This function can be useful in statistical analysis and data visualization.
STDEV
The STDEV function calculates the standard deviation of a set of numbers. It measures the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values from the average (mean) value. It is commonly used in statistics to determine the spread of a data set. The values can be supplied as individual cells, ranges, or constants.
VAR
The VAR formula calculates the variance of a set of numerical values. Variance is a measure of how spread out a set of data is in relation to the mean. This formula is commonly used in statistical analysis to measure the variability or diversity of a dataset.

Learn More

You can learn more about the GEOMEAN Google Sheets function on Google Support.