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Percentage Calculator
Work out a percentage of a number, what one number is as a percentage of another, and percentage change.
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Percentage Increase Calculator
Work out how much something has grown in percentage terms, or add a percentage to a price, salary or quantity. Results update as you type.
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Percentage increase
Enter the starting value and the new value to find the percentage increase.
Percentage increase
25%
Starting value80
New value100
Difference20
Change as a multiplier1.25
A 50% increase followed by a 50% decrease does not return you to the start: 100 becomes 150, then 75.
How percentage increase is calculated
A percentage increase tells you how much bigger a number has become compared with where it started. It is the standard way to talk about price rises, salary changes, traffic growth and almost any figure that moves over time.
The formula
Subtract the starting value from the new value, divide the result by the starting value, then multiply by 100. In short: percentage increase = (new - old) / old x 100. A price that rises from 80 to 100 has gone up by 20, and 20 divided by 80 is 0.25, so the increase is 25%.
The starting value is always the base. That is the detail most mistakes come from: dividing by the new value instead gives 20%, which answers a different question.
Using the calculator
- 1Choose "Between two values" to find the increase from an old number to a new one.
- 2Enter the starting value, then the new value. The percentage appears straight away.
- 3Choose "Increase a value" to add a percentage instead, for example a 12% price rise on 250.
- 4If the new value is lower than the start, the result is shown as a decrease so you are never misled.
Worked examples
| Start | End | Increase | Calculation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 60 | 20% | (60 - 50) / 50 x 100 |
| 200 | 250 | 25% | (250 - 200) / 200 x 100 |
| 1,000 | 1,075 | 7.5% | (1,075 - 1,000) / 1,000 x 100 |
| 40 | 100 | 150% | (100 - 40) / 40 x 100 |
Percentage points are not percentages
When a rate moves from 4% to 5%, it has risen by one percentage point, but by 25% in relative terms. News reports often blur the two. If you are comparing interest rates, tax rates or survey results, state which one you mean.
Related calculators
The general Percentage Calculator answers "what is X% of Y". To work in the other direction, use the Percentage Decrease Calculator, and for prices after a sale try the Discount Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate percentage increase?
Subtract the old value from the new value, divide by the old value and multiply by 100. For 80 rising to 100, that is (100 - 80) / 80 x 100 = 25%.
Why does a 50% rise followed by a 50% fall not return to the start?
Because the second percentage applies to a larger number. 100 rises 50% to 150, and a 50% fall from 150 is 75, not 100.
Keep going
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Percentage Decrease Calculator
Find the percentage decrease between two numbers, or reduce any value by a percentage.
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Discount Calculator
Work out the sale price, the amount you save and what stacked discounts are really worth.
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