Calculate Increase Percentage: Formula and Examples

To calculate the percentage increase, subtract the original value from the new value, divide the difference by the original value, and multiply by 100. Enter the original and new values in the calculator below to get the increase as a percentage, along with the change between them.

Formula

Percentage increase = (new value − original value) ÷ original value × 100.

• Original value is the starting amount, before the increase.
• New value is the amount after the change.
• Absolute change is new value − original value, measured in the same unit as the values entered.
• Percentage increase is the change relative to the original, expressed as a percent.

The two inputs must use the same unit: for example, compare dollars with dollars, kilograms with kilograms, or centimeters with centimeters. The percent itself has no unit.

Worked Example

Using the calculator’s defaults, the original value is 100 and the new value is 125.

1. Find the change: 125 − 100 = 25.
2. Divide by the original: 25 ÷ 100 = 0.25.
3. Convert the result to a percentage: 0.25 × 100 = 25%.

The absolute change is 25, and the percentage increase is 25.00% when rounded to two decimal places.

When to Use Percentage Increase

This calculation is useful when you want to describe how much a quantity grew relative to where it started. It can make changes easier to compare even when the starting amounts differ. For example, an increase of 10 units means something different when a value started at 20 than when it started at 1,000; the percentage provides that starting-point context.

• Compare a measurement before and after a change.
• Describe growth in counts, distances, quantities, or other numerical values.
• Report a change in a consistent unit, such as a rise from 40 to 50 centimeters.

The formula is mathematical, not an explanation of why a value changed. A percentage increase alone does not establish a trend, cause, or forecast.

How to Read the Result

A positive result means the new value is greater than the original. For the example above, 25% means the change is one quarter of the starting value. A result of 100% means the increase equals the original amount: a value that rises from 40 to 80 has increased by 100%, not 40%.

If the new value is lower, the same calculation produces a negative percentage. For example, changing from 100 to 80 gives (80 − 100) ÷ 100 × 100 = −20%. This is normally described as a 20% decrease. A zero result means there was no change.

Absolute change and percentage change answer different questions. From 100 to 125, the absolute change is 25 units and the percentage increase is 25%. If the values instead rise from 200 to 225, the absolute change is still 25 units, but the increase is 12.5% because the starting value is larger.

Common Mistakes and Limits

• Dividing by the new value: The denominator is the original value, not the result after the change.
• Mixing units: Convert values to the same unit before comparing them. For example, do not subtract inches from centimeters without conversion.
• Confusing percentage points with percent change: A rate rising from 10% to 15% rises by 5 percentage points. Relative to its original 10% level, that is a 50% increase.
• Rounding too early: Keep the full values through the calculation, then round the final percentage to a useful number of decimal places.
• Starting from zero: If the original value is zero, division by the original is undefined, so percentage increase cannot be calculated with this formula. Report the absolute change or describe the values directly instead.

Negative starting values also require care. The formula can return a number, but describing it as an increase may be misleading when the values cross zero or represent quantities for which negative values have a special meaning. Explain the actual before-and-after values in those cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate percentage increase between two numbers?
Subtract the original number from the new number, divide by the original number, then multiply by 100. For example, 50 to 60 is (60 − 50) ÷ 50 × 100 = 20%.

What is the difference between percentage increase and absolute increase?
Absolute increase is the raw difference, new minus original. Percentage increase expresses that difference as a share of the original value. The first has the same unit as the values; the second is a percent.

Can percentage increase be negative?
Yes. A negative result indicates the new value is below the original. It is usually clearer to call the magnitude a percentage decrease: a change from 80 to 60 is a 25% decrease.

Can I calculate a percentage increase from zero?
No, not with the standard formula, because it requires dividing by the original value. When the starting value is zero, report the new value and the absolute change rather than a percentage increase.

How do I calculate percentage increase in Excel or a spreadsheet?
If the original value is in A1 and the new value is in B1, enter =(B1-A1)/A1 and format the result as a percentage. Do not multiply by 100 as well if the cell is already formatted to display a percentage.

Is a rise from 10% to 15% a 5% increase?
It is a rise of 5 percentage points. Relative to the starting rate, the percentage increase is (15 − 10) ÷ 10 × 100 = 50%.

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in original | Original value | - | 100 | 0
in new | New value | - | 125 | 0
out increase | Percentage increase | % | (new - original) / original * 100 | 2
out change | Absolute change | - | new - original | 2