Percentage Change
Percentage Change Calculator
Calculate the percentage increase or decrease between an old value and a new value. Useful for tracking price changes, salary growth, or investment returns.
Formula Used
((New Value − Old Value) ÷ |Old Value|) × 100
About This Calculator
What It Does
This calculator measures the percentage increase or decrease between an old value and a new value. It answers questions like 'How much did my salary grow?' or 'What's the drop in my investment?'
Worked Example
If your old salary was 100 units and your new salary is 120 units: ((120 − 100) ÷ 100) × 100 = 20%. The result is +20%, meaning a 20% increase.
Real-World Usage
Track salary raises, measure investment returns, monitor price changes in goods or services, calculate weight loss or gain as a percentage, or compare business metrics year-over-year.
Local Context
Percentage change works consistently across all currencies and regions. For financial tracking across countries, pair with the currency converter to standardize values before calculating change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a negative percentage change mean?
A negative result means the value has decreased. For example, going from 100 to 80 is a 20% decrease.
How is percentage change different from percentage difference?
Percentage change compares an old value to a new value over time. Percentage difference compares two values without regard to direction or time.
Can this calculator handle negative old values?
Yes, but the result becomes less intuitive. We use the absolute value of the old value as the denominator to avoid misleading results.