Approximately what percentage of all elements are metals?

• A. 60-70%
• B. 75-80%
• C. 85-90%
• D. 40-50%

Answer: (B)

Metals make up the majority of elements on the periodic table. They appear across the left and center of the table—in the alkali and alkaline earth groups, the transition metals, post-transition metals, and the lanthanides and actinides—so they represent roughly three-quarters of all known elements. Because of that broad dominance, the best match is the range around three-quarters, about 75-80%. If you count elements, you’ll find around 118 known elements with metals accounting for roughly 75-80% depending on how you classify a few borderline elements. The other ranges are noticeably farther from the common distribution: 60-70% is a bit low, 85-90% is quite high, and 40-50% is far too low.