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 many other fields to track growth or change.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage increase formula:

Where:

• New Value — The current or final value
• Old Value — The original or starting value

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

3. Importance of Percentage Increase Calculation

Details: Percentage increase is crucial for understanding growth rates, comparing changes across different scales, analyzing trends, and making data-driven decisions in business and research.

4. Using the Calculator

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

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between percentage increase and absolute increase?
A: Absolute increase is simply (New - Old), while percentage increase shows this change relative to the original value.

Q2: Can percentage increase be negative?
A: Yes, if the new value is less than the old value, the result will be negative, indicating a percentage decrease.

Q3: How do I interpret a 100% increase?
A: A 100% increase means the value has doubled (become twice as large as the original).

Q4: Why do we multiply by 100 in the formula?
A: Multiplying by 100 converts the decimal result to a percentage, which is easier to understand and compare.

Q5: What if my old value was negative?
A: The calculator works with negative values, but interpretation can be tricky (e.g., going from -5 to 5 is a 200% increase).