Calculate percentage increase or decrease between two values instantly
Percentage change shows how much a value has increased or decreased relative to its original amount. A positive result indicates an increase, while a negative result shows a decrease. This calculation is commonly used in finance, statistics, and everyday comparisons to understand growth or decline.
The percentage change formula is:
For percentage difference (comparing two values without direction), the formula is:
Percentage change is a way to express how much a value has increased or decreased relative to its original amount. It's calculated by finding the difference between the new and original values, dividing by the original value, and multiplying by 100. The result shows the relative change as a percentage.
To calculate percent increase, subtract the original value from the new value, divide the result by the original value, and multiply by 100. For example, if a value increases from 40 to 50, the calculation is: (50 − 40) ÷ 40 × 100 = 25% increase.
Percent decrease is calculated the same way as percent increase, but the result will be negative. Subtract the new value from the original value, divide by the original value, and multiply by 100. For example, if a value decreases from 60 to 45, the calculation is: (45 − 60) ÷ 60 × 100 = −25% decrease.
Percent change measures the change from an original value to a new value, showing direction (increase or decrease). Percent difference compares two values without considering which is the starting point, using their average as the base. It's useful when neither value is clearly the "original" or when you want a symmetric comparison.
Percentage change cannot be calculated when the original value is zero, because division by zero is mathematically undefined. In such cases, you might describe the change in absolute terms rather than as a percentage.