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, inflation, performance improvements, and other changes over time.

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

3. When to Use Percentage Increase

Common Applications:

• Salary raises and income growth
• Price changes and inflation rates
• Population growth rates
• Business revenue and profit growth
• Academic performance improvements
• Investment returns

4. Using the Calculator

Tips:

• Enter both values in the same units
• Old value cannot be zero (division by zero is undefined)
• Negative results indicate percentage decrease
• For multiple periods, use the most recent result as the new "old value"

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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

Q2: How do I calculate percentage decrease?
A: The same formula works - a decrease will show as a negative percentage increase.

Q3: What if my old value was zero?
A: Percentage change is undefined when starting from zero. Consider using absolute change instead.

Q4: How do I reverse a percentage increase?
A: To find the original value after an X% increase: Original = New / (1 + X/100)

Q5: What's a good percentage increase benchmark?
A: This varies by context - 2-3% might be good for inflation-adjusted salary, while businesses might aim for 10-20% annual growth.