1. What is Percentage Change?

Percentage change measures the degree of change over time. It expresses the difference between an old and new value as a percentage of the old value, showing either an increase or decrease.

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: A positive result indicates an increase, while a negative result indicates a decrease. The formula calculates the relative change compared to the original value.

3. Importance of Percentage Change

Details: Percentage change is widely used in finance, economics, statistics, and business to analyze growth rates, price changes, performance metrics, and other comparative measurements.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both old and new values. The calculator will automatically determine if it's an increase or decrease and display the percentage change. Note: Old value cannot be zero (division by zero error).

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: How is percentage change different from percentage difference?
A: Percentage change compares a new value to an old value, while percentage difference compares two values without directionality.

Q3: Why can't the old value be zero?
A: Division by zero is mathematically undefined, making percentage change calculation impossible when the old value is zero.

Q4: Can percentage change be more than 100%?
A: Yes, percentage change can exceed 100% when the new value is more than double the old value.

Q5: How do I interpret a percentage decrease?
A: A percentage decrease shows what portion of the original value was lost. For example, a 20% decrease means the new value is 80% of the original.