Percentage Increase Calculator
Calculate the percentage change between any two numbers. Works for increases and decreases.
Percentage change
+25.00%
100.00 → 125.00 (+25.00)
The formula
Percentage change measures how much a value has grown or shrunk relative to its starting point. It's the same formula whether the number moves up or down: only the sign of the result changes.
Worked examples
Follower growth: 1,200 → 1,500
(1500 − 1200) ÷ 1200 × 100 = +25%
Engagement drop: 4.2% → 3.1%
(3.1 − 4.2) ÷ 4.2 × 100 = −26.19%
Revenue climb: $8,500 → $12,400
(12400 − 8500) ÷ 8500 × 100 = +45.88%
Common pitfalls
- Swapping original and new. The original value always goes in the denominator. Reversing them changes both the sign and the magnitude of the result.
- Confusing percentage with percentage points. A conversion rate moving from 2% to 4% is +2 percentage points, but that's +100% in relative change.
- Assuming symmetry. A 50% increase followed by a 50% decrease does not return to the starting value, because the percentages apply to different bases.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Percentage Increase = ((New − Original) ÷ Original) × 100. If the result is positive, it's an increase; negative means a decrease. A value of 0 means no change.
Subtract the original from the new value, divide by the original, then multiply by 100. Example: going from 200 to 250. Difference is 50. 50 ÷ 200 = 0.25. Multiplied by 100 = 25% increase.
They're the same math. 'Percentage change' is the neutral term: it can be positive or negative. 'Percentage increase' is used when the value goes up, 'percentage decrease' when it goes down.
Same formula, the result just comes out negative. From 400 to 300: (300 − 400) ÷ 400 × 100 = −25%. That's a 25% decrease.
Because percentages compound on different bases. 100 → 150 (+50%) → 75 (−50% of 150). You lose more going down than you gained going up, because the 50% decrease applies to a larger number.
Yes, but the interpretation shifts. The tool uses the absolute value of the original as the denominator so the percentage stays intuitive even when comparing numbers across zero.