Percentage Increase Formula:
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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, inflation, performance improvements, and other changes over time.
The calculator uses the percentage increase formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula calculates the difference between the new and old values, divides by the original value to get a ratio, then converts to percentage by multiplying by 100.
Details: Percentage increase is fundamental in business (sales growth), finance (investment returns), economics (inflation rates), and science (experimental results). It provides a standardized way to compare changes across different scales.
Tips: Enter both old and new values as positive numbers. The old value must be greater than zero (division by zero is undefined). Results show the percentage change from old to new value.
Q1: What if my result is negative?
A: A negative result indicates a percentage decrease rather than an increase.
Q2: How is this different from percentage difference?
A: Percentage increase is directional (old to new), while percentage difference is symmetric and doesn't indicate direction of change.
Q3: What's the maximum percentage increase possible?
A: There's no upper limit - percentage increase can be any positive value (even over 100%).
Q4: How do I calculate percentage decrease?
A: The same formula works - you'll get a negative result indicating decrease.
Q5: Why is the old value in the denominator?
A: This makes the increase relative to the starting point, allowing meaningful comparisons between different scales.