1. What is Percentage Increase?

Percentage increase measures how much a quantity has grown relative to its original value, expressed as a percentage. It's commonly used in finance, economics, statistics, and general data analysis to track growth rates.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage increase formula:

Where:

• \( \text{New Value} \) — The current or final value
• \( \text{Old Value} \) — The original or initial value

Explanation: The formula calculates the difference between new and old values, divides by the old value to get relative change, then converts to percentage by multiplying by 100.

3. Importance of Percentage Increase Calculation

Details: Percentage increase is crucial for understanding growth rates in business metrics (sales, profits), investment returns, population changes, price changes, and performance improvements.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both new and old values as positive numbers. The old value cannot be zero (division by zero is undefined). Results are rounded to 2 decimal places.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does a negative percentage increase mean?
A: A negative result indicates a percentage decrease rather than increase, showing the value has gone down.

Q2: How is this different from percentage difference?
A: Percentage increase compares change relative to the original value only, while percentage difference compares relative to the average of both values.

Q3: What if my old value is zero?
A: The calculation is undefined when old value is zero, as you cannot divide by zero. Consider alternative metrics in such cases.

Q4: Can I use this for percentage decrease calculations?
A: Yes, the result will automatically show as negative for decreases. You can take the absolute value if you just want the magnitude.

Q5: How precise are the results?
A: Results are calculated with full precision but displayed rounded to 2 decimal places for readability.