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 everyday life to track growth or change.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage increase formula:

Where:

• \( \text{New Value} \) — The current or final value
• \( \text{Old Value} \) — 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 crucial for understanding growth rates in business (sales, profits), investments (stock performance), demographics (population growth), and scientific measurements.

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).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What if my result is negative?
A: A negative result indicates a percentage decrease rather than increase.

Q2: How is this different from percentage points?
A: Percentage increase is relative to the original value, while percentage points measure absolute difference between two percentages.

Q3: What's the maximum possible percentage increase?
A: There's no upper limit - percentage increase can be any positive value (including over 100%).

Q4: How do I calculate percentage increase over multiple periods?
A: For compound growth, use the formula for each period sequentially or use exponential growth formulas.

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.