1. What is Percentage Change?

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

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage change formula:

Where:

• New Value — The current or ending 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 a relative change, then multiplies by 100 to convert to a percentage.

3. Importance of Percentage Change

Details: Percentage change is crucial for understanding growth rates, price changes, performance metrics, and trends. It provides a standardized way to compare changes across different scales and units.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both old and new values. The calculator will show the percentage increase or decrease. Note that the old value cannot be zero (division by zero is undefined).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does a negative percentage change mean?
A: A negative percentage change indicates a decrease from the old value to the new value.

Q2: How is percentage change different from percentage difference?
A: Percentage change compares two values over time (temporal comparison), while percentage difference compares two values at the same time (spatial comparison).

Q3: What if my old value is zero?
A: Percentage change is undefined when the old value is zero, as division by zero is mathematically undefined.

Q4: Can percentage change be more than 100%?
A: Yes, percentage change can exceed 100% when the new value is more than double the old value.

Q5: How is percentage change used in finance?
A: In finance, it's used to calculate returns on investments, stock price changes, revenue growth, and many other financial metrics.