1. What is Percentage Change?

Percentage change measures the relative difference between an old value and a new value, expressed as a percentage. It shows how much a quantity has increased or decreased compared to its original amount.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage change formula:

Where:

• New Value — The current or final value
• Old Value — The original or initial 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 widely used in finance, economics, science, and everyday life to compare changes over time, assess growth rates, and make relative comparisons between different-sized quantities.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both old and new values in the same units. The old value must be greater than zero. Positive results indicate percentage increase, negative results indicate percentage decrease.

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

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

Q4: How is percentage change different from percentage points?
A: Percentage change measures relative change from an original value, while percentage points measure absolute differences between percentages.

Q5: When is percentage change most useful?
A: It's most useful when comparing changes in values of different magnitudes or when the relative change is more important than the absolute change.