Why This Matters

Your email unsubscribe rate is a critical health metric for your list. A sudden spike can signal content mismatch, fatigue, or frequency issues. Monitoring it helps protect your sender reputation, maintain deliverability, and guide content strategy to retain engaged subscribers.

Understanding Each Input

Input	What it Represents	Where to Find It	Common Pitfall
Total Emails Sent	The count of emails successfully delivered to the inbox (not just dispatched).	Email platform dashboard (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, HubSpot) under "Delivered" or "Sent".	Confusing "Sent" with "Delivered". Bounces are excluded from delivered count.
Total Unsubscribes	The number of recipients who actively clicked the unsubscribe link in the email.	Email platform reports, usually labeled "Unsubscribes" in campaign analytics.	Mixing with "Spam Complaints" (different metric) or counting global list unsubscribes not tied to the specific campaign.

Step-by-Step Guide

Pull the "Delivered" count for your chosen email campaign or date range from your email service provider.
Pull the corresponding "Unsubscribes" count from the same source.
Enter both numbers into the calculator above. Use decimal points or commas.
Click "Calculate". Review the primary rate and the per-thousand figure.
Use the "Copy Summary" button to paste the result into your report.

Realistic Examples

Example 1: Newsletter Campaign

Inputs: Emails Sent = 25,000, Unsubscribes = 150.
Calculation: (150 / 25000) * 100 = 0.6%
Interpretation: A 0.6% unsubscribe rate is healthy for a regular newsletter. This equals 6 unsubscribes per 1,000 emails delivered.

Example 2: Promotional Blast

Inputs: Emails Sent = 50,000, Unsubscribes = 1,250.
Calculation: (1250 / 50000) * 100 = 2.5%
Interpretation: A 2.5% rate is high and warrants investigation. This means 25 unsubscribes per 1,000 emails. Check content relevance and sending frequency.

Interpretation Guide

If Your Rate is High (> 0.8%)

Audience expectations may not match content.
Sending frequency might be too high.
Check subject lines for misleading "clickbait".
Segment your list to improve relevance.

What to Double-Check

Time period alignment between sent and unsubscribe counts.
Ensure you're not including automated suppression list removals.
Compare against industry benchmarks (varies by vertical).
Review email engagement (opens/clicks) alongside unsubscribes.

Common Mistakes Checklist

Using "Sent" count instead of "Delivered". Including spam complaints in unsubscribe count. Comparing rates across different email types (promotional vs. transactional). Not segmenting by audience tenure (new vs. old subscribers).

Target Rate Solver

If you want to achieve a specific unsubscribe rate, how many unsubscribes can you afford for a given email volume?

Emails Sent

Target Rate (%)

Maximum Allowed Unsubscribes

100

For 20,000 emails at 0.5% rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a "good" unsubscribe rate?

Benchmarks vary by industry and email type. For commercial emails, rates below 0.5% are excellent, 0.5%-0.8% are average, and above 0.8% may need attention. Always track your own trend over time.

How does this differ from spam complaint rate?

Unsubscribes are explicit opt-outs. Spam complaints are when a recipient marks your email as spam, which hurts deliverability more severely. Both should be monitored separately.

Should I include transactional emails in this calculation?

Typically, no. Transactional emails (receipts, password resets) have near-zero unsubscribe rates. Mixing them with marketing emails can artificially lower your rate, masking problems. Calculate rates for each stream separately.

Why is my unsubscribe rate suddenly high?

Common causes: a recent list purchase, a misleading subject line, irrelevant content, or increased sending frequency. Check the specific campaign with the spike and review its content and audience segment.

Can I calculate this for a custom date range?

Yes. In your email platform, filter the "Delivered" and "Unsubscribes" reports for your desired date range, then input the aggregated numbers into the calculator.

Formulas & Assumptions

Primary Formula: Unsubscribe Rate (%) = (Total Unsubscribes / Total Emails Delivered) × 100

Per 1,000 Emails: (Unsubscribe Rate / 100) × 1000

Rounding: Results are rounded to the selected decimal places. No other assumptions or projections are made.

Important: This calculation assumes all unsubscribes are from the same email batch and time period as the sent count.

Email Unsubscribe Rate Calculator

Unsubscribe Rate

Assumptions Used

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Email Unsubscribe Rate Calculator

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