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Statistical function
SKEW
Returns the skewness of a distribution.
Rarely usedDifficulty 1350 · AdvancedUsage rank #332 of 520
When to use it
Sample skewness: which way the distribution leans. Positive means a long right tail (a few big values), negative a long left tail.
The shape of it
- Syntax
=SKEW(number1, [number2], ...)
Worked examples
Right skew
=SKEW(1,2,3,4,10) → 1.697
The 10 drags the tail to the right.
Symmetric
=SKEW(1,2,3,4,5) → 0
Symmetric.
Order sizes
=SKEW(B2:B101) → 2.4
Order sizes: many small, a few huge.
Worth knowing
- Values beyond ±1 are strongly skewed; consider MEDIAN rather than AVERAGE.
- LN transforms often remove right skew.
- SKEW.P is the population version.
Where it goes wrong
- #DIV/0! with fewer than three values or zero sd.
- Sensitive to outliers by design.
Related
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