# Efficiency Ratio Explained: Definition, Formula, and Banking Example

> **Definition**
>
> An efficiency ratio measures how effectively a company utilizes its assets and liabilities to generate income, with a specific application in banking as the ratio of non-interest expenses to revenue.

## What Is an Efficiency Ratio?

Efficiency ratios analyze how well a company uses its assets and liabilities internally. An [efficiency](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/efficiency.asp) ratio can measure receivables turnover, liability repayment, equity usage, and inventory management. This ratio can also be used to track and analyze the overhead expense management of commercial and investment banks.

### Key Takeaways

*   Efficiency ratios measures how effectively a company utilizes its assets to generate income, which is key in assessing short-term performance.
*   This ratio is crucial for banks, where it's defined as non-interest expenses divided by revenue, indicating how well bank managers control overhead costs.
*   A lower efficiency ratio suggests better operational performance, with a ratio under 50% deemed optimal for banks.
*   Efficiency ratios can be compared within industry peers, highlighting which companies are better managed in terms of asset utilization and profitability.
*   Examples of common efficiency ratios include the accounts receivable turnover, fixed asset turnover, and stock turnover ratio, all of which evaluate different aspects of a company's operational efficiency.  
    

![Efficiency Ratio](https://www.investopedia.com/thmb/Zri4ihKbusbwP9U1v4FEYFLyJnQ=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Efficiency_Ratio_Final-cd448c84ffff4a69854f0605fa8f40b7.png)

*— Candra Huff / Investopedia*

## Analyzing the Implications of Efficiency Ratios

Efficiency ratios, also known as activity ratios, are used by analysts to measure the performance of a company’s short-term or current performance. All of these ratios use numbers in a company’s [current assets](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/currentassets.asp) or [current liabilities](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/currentliabilities.asp), quantifying the operations of the business.

An efficiency ratio measures a company’s ability to use its [assets](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/asset.asp) to generate [income](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/income.asp). For example, an efficiency ratio often looks at various aspects of the company, such as the time it takes to collect cash from customers or to convert [inventory](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/inventory.asp) to cash. This makes efficiency ratios important, because an improvement in the efficiency ratios usually translates to improved profitability.

These ratios [can be compared with peers in the same industry](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/defensive-interval-ratio.asp) and can identify businesses that are better managed relative to the others. Some common efficiency ratios are [accounts receivable turnover](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/receivableturnoverratio.asp), [fixed asset turnover](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fixed-asset-turnover.asp), sales to inventory, sales to net working capital, accounts payable to sales, and stock turnover ratio.

## Understanding Efficiency Ratios in the Banking Sector

In the [banking](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bank.asp) industry, an efficiency ratio has a specific meaning. For banks, the efficiency ratio is non-interest expenses/revenue. This shows how well the bank’s managers control their overhead (or “back office”) expenses.

Like the efficiency ratios above, this allows analysts to assess the performance of commercial and investment banks.  

### Formula for Efficiency Ratio for Banks

$\begin{aligned} &\text{Efficiency Ratio} = \frac{\text{Expenses}^{\dagger}}{\text{Revenue}} \\ &\dagger \text{not including interest}\\ \end{aligned}$

Since a bank’s [operating expenses](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/operating_expense.asp) are in the numerator and its [revenue](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/revenue.asp) is in the denominator, a lower efficiency ratio means that a bank is operating better.

An efficiency ratio of 50% or under is considered optimal. If the efficiency ratio increases, it means a bank’s expenses are increasing or its revenues are decreasing.

For example, Bank X reported quarterly earnings and had an efficiency ratio of 57.1%, which was lower than the 63.2% ratio it reported for the same quarter last year. This means the company’s operations became more efficient, increasing its assets by $80 million for the [quarter](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/q/quarter.asp).  

## What Does an Efficiency Ratio Measure?

An efficiency ratio measures a company’s ability to use its assets to generate income. It often looks at various aspects of the company, such as the time it takes to collect cash from customers or to convert inventory to cash. An improvement in efficiency ratio usually translates to improved profitability.

## What Does the Efficiency Ratio Mean in Banking?

An efficiency ratio has a specific meaning for banks. It is referred to as non-interest expenses/revenue and shows how well bank managers control their overhead (or “back office”) expenses.

## How Do Analysts Use Efficiency Ratios?

Analysts use efficiency ratios to measure a business's short-term or current performance.  
All of these ratios use numbers in a firm’s current assets or current liabilities, quantifying the operations of the business.

## The Bottom Line

The efficiency ratio is a tool for assessing how effectively companies utilize assets and liabilities, and how their use impacts short-term performance. It can demonstrate the turnover of receivables, the repayment of liabilities, the quantity and usage of equity, and the general use of inventory and machinery. It can also be used to track and analyze the performance of commercial and investment banks.

A favorable efficiency ratio indicates improved operational efficiency and often correlates with increased profitability. However, it's best to compare efficiency ratios with those of industry peers to benchmark performance, rather than relying solely on calculating a single company's ratio.