# Network density

> Network density is the share of possible ties that actually exist. The formula for directed and undirected networks, what counts as dense, and an example.

Source: https://netgraf.isik.co/learn/network-density
Updated: 2026-09-24

Network density is the share of all possible ties that actually exist. A density of 1 means everyone is tied to everyone; a density of 0.1 means one pair in ten is. It is the quickest single number for how tightly knit a group is, and it falls quickly as a network grows.

## How it's calculated

```
undirected: density = ties / (n (n - 1) / 2)
directed:   density = ties / (n (n - 1))
```

n is the number of people. The bottom line is the number of ties that could exist.

## Reading it

Density is only comparable between networks of similar size. A person can keep up only so many relationships, so as n grows the possible ties grow with n squared while the real ones grow roughly with n. A team of eight at 0.6 and a company of eight hundred at 0.02 can both be perfectly healthy.

Average degree often says the same thing more usefully: "each person has about five ties" is easier to picture than "density 0.14". Netgraf shows both.

## In Netgraf

Density is one of the tiles at the top of the Insights panel, as a percentage of possible ties drawn, next to **Avg. ties each**. Its detail line reads "ties drawn over ties possible".

## Questions

### What is a good network density?

There is no universal target. Small teams often run from 0.3 to 0.7. Large organisations and online networks are usually well under 0.05. Compare density only against networks of a similar size and kind.

### Does density count a tie in both directions twice?

In an undirected network each pair is counted once. In a directed network, A to B and B to A are separate possible ties, so the denominator doubles.

## Example maps

- https://netgraf.isik.co/m/krackhardt-kite

## References

- Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. Cambridge University Press.