Relative Risk Calculator

Calculate relative risk, confidence interval, absolute risk difference, and NNT from a 2x2 contingency table.

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Exposed group

Unexposed group

Relative Risk

2

The exposed group has 100.0% higher risk compared to the unexposed group. However, the 95% CI crosses 1, so this difference is not statistically significant.

Risk in exposed
20.00%
Risk in unexposed
10.00%
95% CI
0.98655 – 4.054532
Absolute risk difference
10.00%
NNH (Number Needed to Harm)
10

How to interpret

A relative risk of 1 means equal risk in both groups. Values above 1 indicate increased risk in the exposed group; values below 1 indicate decreased risk. The 95% confidence interval shows the range of plausible values — if it crosses 1, the result is not statistically significant at the 0.05 level.

Also in Statistics

Epidemiology & Statistics

Relative risk calculator: compare event rates between exposed and unexposed groups

A relative risk calculator computes the risk ratio from a 2x2 contingency table. It compares the probability of an event in an exposed group to the probability in an unexposed group, providing the relative risk, 95% confidence interval, absolute risk difference, and number needed to treat or harm.

Computing relative risk

Relative risk (RR) is the ratio of the probability of an event in the exposed group to the probability in the unexposed group. An RR of 1 means no difference in risk. An RR greater than 1 means the exposure increases risk; less than 1 means it decreases risk.

The 95% confidence interval is calculated using the log method. If the interval does not include 1, the result is statistically significant at the 5% level. The number needed to treat (NNT) or harm (NNH) is the reciprocal of the absolute risk difference.

RR = [a/(a+b)] / [c/(c+d)]

Relative risk from a 2x2 table where a=exposed events, b=exposed non-events, c=unexposed events, d=unexposed non-events.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between relative risk and odds ratio?

Relative risk compares probabilities (risk in exposed vs. unexposed). Odds ratio compares odds. For rare events, they approximate each other. For common events, odds ratios tend to overestimate the relative risk.

What does NNT mean?

Number needed to treat (NNT) is how many patients must receive the treatment for one additional patient to benefit. Lower NNT indicates a more effective treatment. When the exposure increases risk, it becomes number needed to harm (NNH).

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