How to Calculate Percentage Increase

Calculating percentage increase or decrease is a fundamental math skill used in finance, shopping, business analysis, and everyday life.

Percentage Increase Formula

% Increase = ((New Value − Old Value) / |Old Value|) × 100

Percentage Decrease Formula

% Decrease = ((Old Value − New Value) / Old Value) × 100

Examples

• Price went from $80 to $100: % increase = ((100 − 80) / 80) × 100 = 25%
• Salary went from $60,000 to $54,000: % decrease = ((60,000 − 54,000) / 60,000) × 100 = 10%

Common Use Cases

• Salary negotiations and raises
• Comparing prices between periods
• Tracking portfolio returns
• Analyzing business revenue growth

Skip the math and use our Percentage Calculator to quickly compute any percentage change.