Percentage Change Calculator
Calculate the percentage increase or decrease between two values instantly.
Formula
Percentage Change = ((New Value - Original Value) / Original Value) × 100
Quick Examples
Quick Answer
Percentage change shows how much a value has increased or decreased relative to its original amount. Enter both values above to instantly calculate the percentage change, shown as positive for increases and negative for decreases.
Dr. Snezana Lawrence
Mathematical Historian
15+ years experience
PhD from Yale University. Published mathematical historian ensuring precision in all calculations.
Education
PhD in Mathematical History - Yale University
Table of Contents
How to Calculate Percentage Change
Percentage change measures how much a value has increased or decreased compared to its original value. Follow these steps:
- Subtract the original value from the new value (New - Original)
- Divide the result by the absolute value of the original value
- Multiply by 100 to convert to a percentage
Example:
If a stock price goes from $50 to $75:
Change = ($75 - $50) / $50 × 100 = $25 / $50 × 100 = 50% increase
Common Use Cases
- Financial analysis: Stock price changes, revenue growth, profit margins
- Business metrics: Sales growth, customer acquisition, conversion rates
- Economic indicators: Inflation rates, GDP growth, unemployment changes
- Personal finance: Salary increases, investment returns, expense changes
- Science: Experimental results, population changes, measurement variations
- Health: Weight loss/gain, blood pressure changes, fitness improvements
Increase vs Decrease
Percentage Increase
When the new value is greater than the original value, the percentage change is positive.
Example: 100 → 125 = +25%
Percentage Decrease
When the new value is less than the original value, the percentage change is negative.
Example: 100 → 75 = -25%
Note: A 50% decrease followed by a 50% increase does NOT return to the original value. 100 → 50 (50% decrease) → 75 (50% increase). You need a 100% increase to recover from a 50% decrease.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the formula for percentage change?
Percentage Change = ((New Value - Original Value) / Original Value) × 100. A positive result indicates an increase, while a negative result indicates a decrease.
What is the difference between percentage change and percentage difference?
Percentage change measures the change from an original value to a new value and has direction (increase or decrease). Percentage difference measures how different two values are relative to their average, without specifying which is the original.
Can percentage change be greater than 100%?
Yes, percentage change can exceed 100%. For example, if a value doubles (100 → 200), that's a 100% increase. If it triples (100 → 300), that's a 200% increase. There's no upper limit for percentage increases.
Can percentage decrease be more than 100%?
No, for positive original values, the maximum percentage decrease is 100% (when the new value is 0). However, if the new value becomes negative, the percentage change can technically exceed -100%.
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Dr. Snezana Lawrence
Mathematical Historian | PhD from Yale
Dr. Lawrence is a published mathematical historian with a PhD from Yale University. She ensures mathematical precision and accuracy in all our calculations, conversions, and academic score calculators. Her expertise spans computational mathematics and educational assessment.
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