Percentage Change Calculator
Calculate percentage change between two values with step-by-step solutions
Calculate Percentage Change
The starting value
The ending value
Percentage Change Results
Common Percentage Change Examples
Stock Price Increase
From: $50 → To: $65
Change: +$15 (+30%)
Formula: (65-50)/50 × 100 = 30%
Population Decline
From: 10,000 → To: 8,500
Change: -1,500 (-15%)
Formula: (8500-10000)/10000 × 100 = -15%
Temperature Change
From: 20°C → To: 32°C
Change: +12°C (+60%)
Formula: (32-20)/20 × 100 = 60%
Sales Performance
From: $250K → To: $195K
Change: -$55K (-22%)
Formula: (195-250)/250 × 100 = -22%
Quick Examples
Formulas
Percentage Change
% = 100 × (final - initial) / |initial|Uses absolute value of initial
Find Final Value
final = initial × (1 + %/100)When % change is known
Find Initial Value
initial = final / (1 + %/100)Reverse calculation
Key Rules
- • Positive result = increase
- • Negative result = decrease
- • Use absolute value in denominator
- • Works with negative numbers
Understanding Percentage Change
What is Percentage Change?
Percentage change measures the relative change between an initial and final value. Unlike percentage increase or decrease, it can be both positive (increase) and negative (decrease), giving you the complete picture of the change.
Key Characteristics
- •Uses absolute value of initial value in denominator
- •Positive result indicates an increase
- •Negative result indicates a decrease
- •Works correctly with negative numbers
Working with Negative Numbers
Example: Change from -10 to -25
% = 100 × (-25 - (-10)) / |-10|
% = 100 × (-15) / 10 = -150%
This is a 150% decrease, which makes sense since -25 is much smaller than -10.
Real-World Applications
Finance & Investment
• Stock price changes
• Portfolio performance
• Currency exchange rates
• Interest rate fluctuations
Business Metrics
• Sales growth analysis
• Market share changes
• Customer acquisition rates
• Revenue comparisons
Science & Research
• Population studies
• Temperature variations
• Experimental data analysis
• Medical research results
Personal Finance
• Salary increases/decreases
• Budget variance analysis
• Expense tracking
• Investment returns
Percentage Change vs. Other Metrics
Percentage Change
Shows both direction and magnitude. Can be positive or negative. Uses absolute value in denominator.
Percentage Difference
Always positive. Uses average of both values as reference point. No direction information.
Absolute Change
Simple subtraction (final - initial). Gives actual units of change but not relative significance.