Percentage Increase Calculator
Find the percent increase between two numbers, increase a number by a percentage, or work back to the original value.
Percentage Increase Calculator: Find the Percent Change Between Two Numbers
This free percentage increase calculator shows how much a value has grown compared with where it started. Enter the initial value and the final value, and the calculator gives you the percent increase, the actual difference, and the steps it used. It works for prices, salaries, grades, follower counts, rent, sales figures and any other number that changes over time.
If the new number is lower than the old one, the same calculation returns a negative result and the calculator labels it as a percentage decrease, so you never have to switch tools.
What Is a Percentage Increase?
A percentage increase describes how much a quantity has grown, expressed as a percent of its starting value. A jump from 50 to 75 is an increase of 25 units, which is 50% of the original 50. Percentages make changes easy to compare, because a $5 rise means something very different on a $10 item than on a $1,000 item.
Percentage Increase Formula
The initial value is the starting number and the final value is the new number. The vertical bars mean absolute value, which keeps the result meaningful even when the starting number is negative. The formula only works when the initial value is not zero, because you cannot divide by zero.
How to Use This Percentage Increase Calculator
- Choose the Percentage increase tab to compare two numbers.
- Type the starting number into Initial value.
- Type the new number into Final value.
- Read the percent change, the difference and the multiplier in the result panel. The steps underneath show exactly how it was worked out.
- Use Decimal places to control rounding and Copy result to save the answer.
Need something different? The Increase by a % tab adds a percentage to a number, and the Find original value tab works backward from a final value.
Percentage Increase Examples
| Situation | Initial | Final | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product price | $80 | $100 | +25% |
| Monthly salary | $2,500 | $2,750 | +10% |
| Social media followers | 1,200 | 1,800 | +50% |
| Sale price (decrease) | $100 | $80 | −20% |
How to Calculate Percentage Increase Step by Step
Suppose a monthly subscription rises from 40 to 50.
- Find the difference: 50 − 40 = 10.
- Divide by the initial value: 10 ÷ 40 = 0.25.
- Multiply by 100: 0.25 × 100 = 25%.
The subscription went up by 25%. Doubling a number is always a 100% increase, and tripling it is a 200% increase.
How to Increase a Number by a Percentage
To add a percentage to a value, multiply it by one plus the percentage written as a decimal.
For example, increasing 250 by 12% gives 250 × 1.12 = 280. This is the calculation behind price markups, tax added to a bill, and annual pay raises. Use the Increase by a % tab to do it instantly.
How to Find the Original Value Before an Increase
If you know the final value and the percentage it rose by, divide the final value by one plus the percentage as a decimal.
A price of 130 after a 30% increase started at 130 ÷ 1.30 = 100. A common mistake is to subtract 30% from 130, which gives 91 and is wrong, because the 30% was calculated on the original price, not the new one.
Percentage Increase vs. Percentage Decrease vs. Percentage Points
- Percentage increase: the final value is higher than the initial value, so the result is positive.
- Percentage decrease: the final value is lower than the initial value, so the result is negative.
- Percentage points: the simple subtraction of two percentages. If an interest rate moves from 4% to 6%, it rises by 2 percentage points, but the percentage increase is 50%.
An increase followed by an equal decrease does not bring you back to the start. A 50% increase from 100 gives 150, and a 50% decrease from 150 gives 75.
Where to Use a Percentage Increase Calculator
- Shopping and pricing: check how much a price has gone up or what a markup does to the final cost.
- Salary and income: measure the size of a raise or compare offers.
- Business and sales: track revenue, orders and traffic growth from one period to the next.
- Investing and savings: see how much a balance or share price has gained.
- School and fitness: compare test scores, lifting weights or running times between two attempts.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Dividing by the final value instead of the initial value.
- Mixing up the order of the two numbers, which flips an increase into a decrease.
- Treating a change in percentage points as a percentage change.
- Starting from zero. A percentage increase from zero is undefined, so the calculator will warn you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate percentage increase?
Subtract the initial value from the final value, divide the result by the initial value, then multiply by 100. The percentage increase calculator above does all three steps for you.
Can a percentage increase be more than 100%?
Yes. If a value more than doubles, the increase is over 100%. For example, going from 20 to 70 is a 250% increase.
What does a negative result mean?
A negative result means the final value is lower than the initial value, so it is a percentage decrease rather than an increase.
What is the difference between percentage increase and percentage change?
Percentage change is the general term for the relative difference between two values. It is called a percentage increase when the result is positive and a percentage decrease when it is negative.
How do I calculate the percentage increase from a negative number?
Use the absolute value of the initial number in the denominator. Going from −50 to −30 is a change of 20, and 20 ÷ 50 × 100 gives a 40% increase.
Is this percentage increase calculator free?
Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up, and runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter are never sent anywhere.