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📈 Calculate Percentage Change
Find the percentage increase or decrease between two values
⚡ Quick Percentage Change Reference
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How to Calculate Percentage Change
Percentage change tells you how much a value has increased or decreased relative to its original value. It is one of the most commonly used calculations in business, finance, science and everyday life — from tracking stock price changes to calculating salary increases to measuring population growth.
Percentage Change = ((New Value - Original Value) / Original Value) × 100
Percentage Increase = ((New - Original) / Original) × 100 (positive result)
Percentage Decrease = ((Original - New) / Original) × 100 (negative result)
New Value = Original Value × (1 + Percentage Change / 100)
Original Value = New Value / (1 + Percentage Change / 100)
Example:
Original: 80, New: 100
Change = ((100 - 80) / 80) × 100 = 25% increase
Percentage Increase vs Percentage Decrease
When the new value is higher than the original the result is a percentage increase shown as a positive number. When the new value is lower it is a percentage decrease shown as a negative number. Our calculator automatically identifies whether the change is an increase or decrease and labels it clearly.
Common Uses of Percentage Change
- Salary increases and raises — calculating how much your pay went up
- Price changes — how much did something cost more or less
- Stock and investment returns — portfolio growth or loss
- Weight loss and gain — tracking body weight changes
- Business metrics — revenue growth, user growth, conversion rate changes
- Test scores — improvement from one test to the next
- Population and demographic changes
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate percentage increase? +
Percentage increase = ((New Value - Original Value) / Original Value) × 100. For example if a salary went from $50,000 to $55,000: ((55,000 - 50,000) / 50,000) × 100 = 10% increase. Use our calculator above — enter the original and new value and click calculate for instant results.
How do I calculate percentage decrease? +
Percentage decrease = ((Original Value - New Value) / Original Value) × 100. For example if a price dropped from $80 to $60: ((80 - 60) / 80) × 100 = 25% decrease. Our calculator automatically shows a negative result for decreases making it clear whether the change was up or down.
What is the difference between percentage change and percentage difference? +
Percentage change measures how much a value changed from a specific starting point — it has a clear original and new value. Percentage difference compares two values without implying one came before the other — it uses the average of both values as the denominator. Use percentage change when tracking something over time and percentage difference when comparing two separate things.
How do I find the original value before a percentage change? +
Original Value = New Value / (1 + Percentage Change / 100). For example if a price is now $130 after a 30% increase: Original = $130 / 1.30 = $100. Use our Find Original Value tab above to calculate this instantly — useful for working backwards from a sale price to the original retail price.
Can percentage change be more than 100%? +
Yes absolutely. A 100% increase means the value doubled. A 200% increase means it tripled. A 1000% increase means it grew to 11 times the original. There is no mathematical upper limit to percentage increase. However percentage decrease cannot exceed 100% — a 100% decrease means the value went to zero and you cannot decrease beyond nothing.