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 everyday life to track growth or expansion.

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 original value to get the relative change, then converts to a percentage by multiplying by 100.

3. Practical Applications

Details: Percentage increase is used in:

• Financial analysis (stock growth, revenue increases)
• Sales and marketing (growth metrics)
• Academic research (data analysis)
• Personal finance (salary increases, investment returns)
• Scientific studies (population growth, experimental results)

4. Using the Calculator

Tips:

• Enter both new and old values as positive numbers
• The old value cannot be zero (division by zero is undefined)
• Negative results indicate a percentage decrease
• For percentage decrease calculations, use the absolute value of the result

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What if my old value is zero?
A: The calculation is undefined when old value is zero, as you cannot divide by zero. In such cases, percentage change cannot be calculated.

Q2: How is this different from percentage difference?
A: Percentage increase compares a new value to an original value, while percentage difference compares any two values without directional context.

Q3: What does a negative percentage increase mean?
A: A negative result indicates a percentage decrease rather than an increase.

Q4: How do I interpret a 100% increase?
A: A 100% increase means the new value is exactly double the old value (a 2x increase).

Q5: Can I calculate percentage increase between two negative numbers?
A: Yes, but interpretation requires care. The sign of the result depends on whether the values became more or less negative.