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 to track growth in financial, statistical, and scientific contexts.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage increase formula:

Where:

• New Value — The current or final measurement
• Old Value — The original or initial measurement

Explanation: The formula calculates the difference between values, divides by the original to get relative change, then converts to a percentage.

3. Practical Applications

Details: Percentage increase is used in financial analysis (stock growth, price changes), business metrics (sales growth), scientific research (population growth), and personal finance (salary increases).

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both values in the same units. The old value cannot be zero (division by zero is undefined). Negative results indicate percentage decrease.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between percentage increase and absolute increase?
A: Absolute increase is simple subtraction (new - old), while percentage increase shows the change relative to the original value.

Q2: How do I interpret negative percentage increase?
A: A negative result indicates a percentage decrease rather than increase.

Q3: Why do I get an error when old value is zero?
A: Division by zero is mathematically undefined. Percentage change calculations require a non-zero original value.

Q4: Can I use this for percentage decrease calculations?
A: Yes, the same formula works - a negative result indicates decrease.

Q5: How is this different from percentage points?
A: Percentage points measure absolute difference between percentages, while percentage increase measures relative change from an original value.