Percentage Increase Calculator - Free Online Percent Change Calculator

📈 Calculate Percentage Change

Enter two values to find the percentage increase or decrease

🔧 Calculation Mode

1️⃣ Original Value (From)

⬇️

2️⃣ New Value (To)

⚡ Quick Examples

💡 Quick Tips

Positive result = Increase (growth)
Negative result = Decrease (reduction)
Use decimals for precise calculations
Works with any numbers: currency, quantities, scores, etc.

📊 Percentage Change

→ Enter values above

📜 Recent Calculations Clear All

No calculations yet

📖 How Percentage Calculations Work

Understanding percentage calculations is essential for everyday math, finance, business, and data analysis. Our calculator supports multiple calculation modes to handle any percentage-related question you might have.

Percentage Change Formula

The most common calculation: ((New Value - Original Value) ÷ Original Value) × 100. This tells you how much something has increased or decreased as a percentage. A positive result means increase; negative means decrease.

Adding/Subtracting Percentage

To add a percentage: Value × (1 + Percent/100). To subtract: Value × (1 - Percent/100). For example, adding 20% to 100 gives 100 × 1.20 = 120. Subtracting 20% from 100 gives 100 × 0.80 = 80.

Finding What Percent X is of Y

Formula: (Part ÷ Whole) × 100. This answers "X is what percentage of Y?" For example, 25 is what percent of 200? Answer: (25 ÷ 200) × 100 = 12.5%. This is useful for calculating proportions and ratios.

🎯 Common Uses for Percentage Calculations

Percentage calculations are used across virtually every field and industry. Here are some of the most common applications where our calculator can help.

💰

Finance & Investing

Calculate investment returns, stock price changes, interest rate impacts, portfolio growth, profit margins, and year-over-year financial performance. Essential for tracking ROI and making informed investment decisions.

📈

Business & Sales

Track sales growth, calculate markup and margin percentages, measure employee performance improvements, analyze market share changes, and compare quarterly or annual business metrics.

🛒

Shopping & Discounts

Calculate discount savings, compare prices, figure out sale prices, determine tip amounts, calculate tax impacts, and understand price increases on everyday purchases.

📊

Data Analysis

Measure percent changes in datasets, calculate growth rates, analyze survey results, compare statistical samples, and track key performance indicators (KPIs) over time.

❤️

Health & Fitness

Track weight loss or gain percentages, calculate body fat percentage changes, measure fitness improvements, analyze nutritional intake ratios, and monitor health metric progress.

📚

Education & Grades

Calculate grade improvements, determine test score percentages, analyze academic progress, compute GPA changes, and understand performance metrics in educational settings.

🔗 Related Percentage Formulas

Beyond basic percentage change, there are several related calculations you might find useful. Here's a quick reference for common percentage formulas.

💡 Pro Tip: Remember that percentage increase and decrease are not symmetrical. A 50% increase followed by a 50% decrease does NOT return to the original value. For example: 100 + 50% = 150, then 150 - 50% = 75 (not 100). This is a common mistake in financial calculations.

📝 Real-World Percentage Examples

Let's look at practical examples of percentage calculations you might encounter in daily life, business, and finance.

💼 Business Examples

Growth

✓ Revenue grew from $50,000 to $65,000 = 30% increase
✓ Costs reduced from $10,000 to $8,000 = 20% decrease
✓ Customer base: 1,000 to 1,250 = 25% growth
✓ Profit margin: $30 profit on $100 sale = 30% margin
✓ Employee productivity: 80 to 100 units = 25% improvement

🛍️ Shopping Examples

Savings

✓ $80 item on sale for $60 = 25% off
✓ $50 meal + 20% tip = $60 total
✓ $100 + 8.5% tax = $108.50
✓ Price rose from $2.50 to $3.00 = 20% increase
✓ 30% off $150 item = $45 savings

💰 Investment Examples

Returns

✓ Stock: $50 to $62.50 = 25% gain
✓ Portfolio: $10,000 to $8,500 = 15% loss
✓ House: $300K to $450K = 50% appreciation
✓ Savings: $5,000 + 4% interest = $5,200
✓ Crypto: $1,000 to $3,500 = 250% gain

⚠️ Common Percentage Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced professionals make percentage calculation errors. Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

❌

Reversibility Error

A 50% increase followed by 50% decrease does NOT equal the original. Example: 100 → 150 (↑50%) → 75 (↓50%). The result is 75, not 100!

🔄

Wrong Base Value

Always use the ORIGINAL value as the base, not the new value. The percentage change from 50 to 75 is 50%, not 33% (which would be 75 to 50).

➕

Adding Percentages Directly

You can't simply add percentages of different bases. 10% of $100 + 10% of $200 ≠ 20% of $300. Calculate each separately: $10 + $20 = $30.

📊

Confusing Margin vs Markup

Markup is based on cost; margin is based on selling price. A $60 item with $40 cost has 50% markup ($20/$40) but 33% margin ($20/$60).

🎯

Percentage Points vs Percent

Going from 10% to 15% is a 5 percentage POINT increase, but a 50% PERCENT increase. These are very different concepts!

📉

Ignoring Compounding

10% growth for 2 years isn't 20% total. It's 10% × 10% = 21% (100 → 110 → 121). Compound growth accelerates over time.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What is the formula for calculating percentage increase?

The formula for percentage increase is: ((New Value - Original Value) ÷ Original Value) × 100. For example, if a price goes from $80 to $100, the calculation is: (($100 - $80) ÷ $80) × 100 = (20 ÷ 80) × 100 = 25% increase. The key is to always divide by the original value, not the new value.

How do I calculate percentage decrease?

Percentage decrease uses the same formula as increase: ((Original Value - New Value) ÷ Original Value) × 100. For example, if a price drops from $100 to $75, the calculation is: (($100 - $75) ÷ $100) × 100 = 25% decrease. Alternatively, you can use the change formula and get a negative result (-25%), which indicates a decrease.

What's the difference between percentage change and percentage points?

This is a crucial distinction. Percentage points measure the absolute difference between two percentages, while percentage change measures the relative change. Example: If interest rates go from 5% to 7%, that's a 2 percentage POINT increase, but a 40% PERCENT increase (because 2 is 40% of 5). Media often confuses these terms, so pay close attention to context.

Why doesn't a 50% increase followed by 50% decrease give me the original number?

Because percentages are calculated on different bases. When you increase 100 by 50%, you get 150. But when you decrease 150 by 50%, you're calculating 50% of 150 (which is 75), not 50% of 100. So 150 - 75 = 75, not 100. To return to the original after a 50% increase, you need a 33.33% decrease (because 50 is 33.33% of 150).

How do I calculate what percentage one number is of another?

Use the formula: (Part ÷ Whole) × 100. For example, "What percentage is 25 of 200?" Calculate: (25 ÷ 200) × 100 = 12.5%. So 25 is 12.5% of 200. This is useful for calculating proportions, test scores (e.g., 18 correct out of 20 = 90%), and market share calculations.

What's the difference between markup and margin?

Markup is the percentage added to cost to get selling price, calculated as ((Selling Price - Cost) ÷ Cost) × 100. Margin is the percentage of selling price that is profit, calculated as ((Selling Price - Cost) ÷ Selling Price) × 100. Example: Buy for $60, sell for $100. Markup = 66.7% ($40/$60), Margin = 40% ($40/$100). Same profit, different percentages!

How do I calculate a percentage of a number?

Multiply the number by the percentage divided by 100. Formula: Number × (Percentage ÷ 100). For example, 20% of 150 = 150 × (20 ÷ 100) = 150 × 0.20 = 30. Shortcut: Move the decimal point two places left in the percentage, then multiply. 20% becomes 0.20, so 150 × 0.20 = 30.

How do I add a percentage to a number?

Multiply the number by (1 + Percentage/100). For example, to add 15% to $200: $200 × (1 + 15/100) = $200 × 1.15 = $230. Alternatively, calculate the percentage amount first ($200 × 0.15 = $30), then add it ($200 + $30 = $230). The first method is faster for calculations.

How do I subtract a percentage from a number?

Multiply the number by (1 - Percentage/100). For example, to subtract 25% from $80: $80 × (1 - 25/100) = $80 × 0.75 = $60. This is how discounts work. A 25% off sale means you pay 75% of the original price. The formula gives you the final amount directly.

Can percentage change be more than 100%?

Absolutely! Any time the new value is more than double the original, the percentage increase exceeds 100%. For example, if sales grow from $100 to $350, that's a 250% increase ((350-100)/100 × 100). However, percentage decrease is capped at 100% (you can't lose more than 100% of something—that would mean going negative).

How do I calculate compound percentage growth?

For compound growth over multiple periods, use: Final = Initial × (1 + Rate)^Periods. For example, $1,000 growing at 10% annually for 3 years: $1,000 × (1.10)³ = $1,000 × 1.331 = $1,331. That's 33.1% total growth, not 30% (simple addition would give 30%). Compounding accelerates growth over time.

What if my original value is zero?

Percentage change from zero is mathematically undefined because you'd be dividing by zero. In practical terms, going from 0 to any positive number represents infinite percentage growth. In business contexts, this is often reported as "N/A" or described in absolute terms instead. Some analysts use the new value as a baseline or report the change as "new metric established."

🚀 Master Percentage Calculations

Whether you're analyzing business data, calculating discounts, tracking investments, or solving math problems, our percentage calculator makes it easy. Bookmark this page for quick access whenever you need to calculate percentage changes!

⚡

Instant Results

Get accurate percentage calculations immediately as you type. No waiting, no page refreshes—just fast, reliable results.

📱

Works Everywhere

Use on any device—desktop, tablet, or mobile. Perfect for quick calculations at work, school, or while shopping.

🎓

Learn While You Calculate

See the formula and step-by-step breakdown for every calculation. Great for students and anyone wanting to understand the math.