1. What is Percentage Change?

Percentage change measures the degree of change over time. It's used to compare an old value to a new value, expressing the difference as a percentage of the old value. This calculation is widely used in finance, economics, statistics, and many other fields.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage change formula:

Where:

• New Value — The current or ending value
• Old Value — The previous or starting value

Explanation: The formula calculates how much a value has changed relative to its original value. A positive result indicates an increase, while a negative result indicates a decrease.

3. Understanding Percentage Change

Details: Percentage change is valuable because it shows the relative change rather than just the absolute difference. This allows for comparison between different scales and magnitudes.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both old and new values. The old value cannot be zero (as division by zero is undefined). The calculator will show the percentage change and indicate whether it's an increase or decrease.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between percentage change and percentage point change?
A: Percentage change is relative to the original value, while percentage points refer to the absolute difference between two percentages.

Q2: How do I interpret a negative percentage change?
A: A negative percentage change indicates a decrease from the old value to the new value.

Q3: Why can't the old value be zero?
A: Mathematically, division by zero is undefined. You cannot calculate percentage change when starting from zero.

Q4: How is percentage change different from absolute change?
A: Absolute change is simply new value minus old value, while percentage change shows the relative difference.

Q5: Can percentage change be more than 100%?
A: Yes, when the new value is more than double the old value, the percentage change exceeds 100%.