management 2019s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in 2008 , sales to the segment 2019s top five customers represented approximately 45% ( 45 % ) of the segment 2019s net sales .the segment 2019s backlog was $ 2.3 billion at december 31 , 2008 , compared to $ 2.6 billion at december 31 , 2007 .in 2008 , our digital video customers significantly increased their purchases of the segment 2019s products and services , primarily due to increased demand for digital entertainment devices , particularly ip and hd/dvr devices .in february 2008 , the segment acquired the assets related to digital cable set-top products of zhejiang dahua digital technology co. , ltd and hangzhou image silicon ( known collectively as dahua digital ) , a developer , manufacturer and marketer of cable set-tops and related low-cost integrated circuits for the emerging chinese cable business .the acquisition helped the segment strengthen its position in the rapidly growing cable market in china .enterprise mobility solutions segment the enterprise mobility solutions segment designs , manufactures , sells , installs and services analog and digital two-way radios , wireless lan and security products , voice and data communications products and systems for private networks , wireless broadband systems and end-to-end enterprise mobility solutions to a wide range of customers , including government and public safety agencies ( which , together with all sales to distributors of two-way communication products , are referred to as the 2018 2018government and public safety market 2019 2019 ) , as well as retail , energy and utilities , transportation , manufacturing , healthcare and other commercial customers ( which , collectively , are referred to as the 2018 2018commercial enterprise market 2019 2019 ) .in 2009 , the segment 2019s net sales represented 32% ( 32 % ) of the company 2019s consolidated net sales , compared to 27% ( 27 % ) in 2008 and 21% ( 21 % ) in 2007 .years ended december 31 percent change ( dollars in millions ) 2009 2008 2007 2009 20142008 2008 20142007 .
[['( dollars in millions )', 'years ended december 31 2009', 'years ended december 31 2008', 'years ended december 31 2007', 'years ended december 31 2009 20142008', '2008 20142007'], ['segment net sales', '$ 7008', '$ 8093', '$ 7729', '( 13 ) % (  % )', '5% ( 5 % )'], ['operating earnings', '1057', '1496', '1213', '( 29 ) % (  % )', '23% ( 23 % )']]
segment results 20142009 compared to 2008 in 2009 , the segment 2019s net sales were $ 7.0 billion , a decrease of 13% ( 13 % ) compared to net sales of $ 8.1 billion in 2008 .the 13% ( 13 % ) decrease in net sales reflects a 21% ( 21 % ) decrease in net sales to the commercial enterprise market and a 10% ( 10 % ) decrease in net sales to the government and public safety market .the decrease in net sales to the commercial enterprise market reflects decreased net sales in all regions .the decrease in net sales to the government and public safety market was primarily driven by decreased net sales in emea , north america and latin america , partially offset by higher net sales in asia .the segment 2019s overall net sales were lower in north america , emea and latin america and higher in asia the segment had operating earnings of $ 1.1 billion in 2009 , a decrease of 29% ( 29 % ) compared to operating earnings of $ 1.5 billion in 2008 .the decrease in operating earnings was primarily due to a decrease in gross margin , driven by the 13% ( 13 % ) decrease in net sales and an unfavorable product mix .also contributing to the decrease in operating earnings was an increase in reorganization of business charges , relating primarily to higher employee severance costs .these factors were partially offset by decreased sg&a expenses and r&d expenditures , primarily related to savings from cost-reduction initiatives .as a percentage of net sales in 2009 as compared 2008 , gross margin decreased and r&d expenditures and sg&a expenses increased .net sales in north america continued to comprise a significant portion of the segment 2019s business , accounting for approximately 58% ( 58 % ) of the segment 2019s net sales in 2009 , compared to approximately 57% ( 57 % ) in 2008 .the regional shift in 2009 as compared to 2008 reflects a 16% ( 16 % ) decline in net sales outside of north america and a 12% ( 12 % ) decline in net sales in north america .the segment 2019s backlog was $ 2.4 billion at both december 31 , 2009 and december 31 , 2008 .in our government and public safety market , we see a continued emphasis on mission-critical communication and homeland security solutions .in 2009 , we led market innovation through the continued success of our mototrbo line and the delivery of the apx fffd family of products .while spending by end customers in the segment 2019s government and public safety market is affected by government budgets at the national , state and local levels , we continue to see demand for large-scale mission critical communications systems .in 2009 , we had significant wins across the globe , including several city and statewide communications systems in the united states , and continued success winning competitive projects with our tetra systems in europe , the middle east .

Question: did consolidated net sales grow from 2007 to 2009 and what was this growth in a percentage?
Answer: yes , 38.2%
Explanation: in order to find out the consolidated net sales one must multiple the segmented net sales by the percentage given in line 7 . we then subtract the two numbers and take the answer and divide by the lower number . this gives us 38.2% .