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 to track growth rates, price changes, performance improvements, and other comparative metrics.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage increase formula:

Where:

• New Value — The current or final measurement
• Old Value — The original or initial measurement

Explanation: The formula calculates the difference between values, determines what proportion this difference is of the original value, and converts it to a percentage.

3. When to Use Percentage Increase

Common Applications: Business (sales growth, price changes), finance (investment returns), education (test score improvements), science (experimental results), and personal finance (salary increases).

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both old and new values as positive numbers. The old value must be greater than zero (division by zero is undefined). Results are rounded to 2 decimal places.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What if my old value is zero?
A: Percentage increase is undefined when the old value is zero, as it would require division by zero. In such cases, consider absolute difference instead.

Q2: What does a negative percentage increase mean?
A: A negative result indicates a percentage decrease rather than an increase (when new value is less than old value).

Q3: How is this different from percentage points?
A: Percentage increase is relative to the original value, while percentage points measure absolute difference between percentages.

Q4: Can I calculate percentage decrease with this?
A: Yes, a negative result indicates a decrease. Some calculators label this as "percentage change" to accommodate both increases and decreases.

Q5: Why is percentage increase important?
A: It provides a standardized way to compare growth rates across different scales and contexts, making trends easier to interpret.