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 many other fields to compare growth rates.

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 new and old values, divides by the original value to get relative change, then multiplies by 100 to convert to percentage.

3. Importance of Percentage Increase Calculation

Details: Percentage increase is essential for analyzing growth rates, comparing performance over time, making investment decisions, and understanding changes in prices, quantities, or other metrics.

4. Using the Calculator

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 increase (positive) or decrease (negative).

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 this difference relative to the original value.

Q2: Can percentage increase be negative?
A: Yes, if the new value is less than the old value, the result will be negative, indicating a percentage decrease.

Q3: How is percentage increase different from percentage points?
A: Percentage increase measures relative change, while percentage points measure absolute difference between percentages (e.g., 5% to 7% is a 2 percentage point increase, but 40% increase).

Q4: What if my old value is zero?
A: The calculation is undefined (division by zero). Percentage change can't be calculated when starting from zero.

Q5: How do I interpret a 100% increase?
A: A 100% increase means the value has doubled (become twice as large as the original).