GAMMA.DIST Function in Excel: Gamma Distribution

GAMMA.DIST Function in Excel: Gamma Distribution 1
⏱ 1 min readUpdated 5 October 2026

StatisticsLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 2010+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. GAMMA.DIST in practice
  5. Where you will use it
  6. Worked example
  7. Mistakes people make
  8. Related functions

GAMMA.DIST models waiting times and amounts that are always positive and skewed, like claim sizes or repair times.

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Syntax

=GAMMA.DIST(x, alpha, beta, cumulative)
Argument What it means
x Value
alpha Shape
beta Scale
cumulative TRUE for probability

Examples

Example 1

=ROUND(GAMMA.DIST(A2,B2,C2,TRUE),4)

Result: 0.7127. See the worked example table below for more cases.

GAMMA.DIST in practice

Where you will use it

  • Insurance claim sizes
  • Time until k events happen
  • Rainfall amounts

Worked example

xalphabetaFormulaResult
1024=ROUND(GAMMA.DIST(A2,B2,C2,TRUE),4)0.7127
524=ROUND(GAMMA.DIST(A3,B3,C3,TRUE),4)0.3554
2035=ROUND(GAMMA.DIST(A4,B4,C4,TRUE),4)0.7619

Results calculated in Excel.

Mistakes people make

MistakeWhat to do instead
Negative x#NUM!
Rate vs scalebeta is the scale (1/rate)

GAMMA.INV · EXPON.DIST

📚 Part of the free Excel course: Beginner → Expert · Try it in the Formula Lab or ask the AI Helper.

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