BCBetter Calculators

Percentage Change Calculator

Calculate the percent change between two values and see increase or decrease.

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Enter your values and click Calculate

How It Works

Percent change is calculated using the formula (new − original) ÷ original × 100. First, the difference between the new and original values is found by subtracting the original from the new. That difference is then divided by the original value to express the change as a proportion, and multiplying by 100 converts it to a percentage. A positive result indicates growth or an increase, while a negative result indicates a decline. The calculator also labels the direction explicitly as an Increase, Decrease, or No Change, and displays both the signed difference and the absolute difference so you can see the full scale of the change without needing to do additional arithmetic.

Examples

From 100 to 120
A value increases from 100 to 120.
Result: Percent change is +20.00% (increase).
From 80 to 60
A value decreases from 80 to 60.
Result: Percent change is −25.00% (decrease).
Annual revenue comparison
Revenue grows from $450,000 to $540,000 year over year.
Result: Percent change is +20.00% (increase), a difference of $90,000.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is percent change?
Percent change measures how much a value has changed relative to the original value, expressed as a percentage. It is widely used in finance, science, and business to communicate growth or decline in a standardised way.
Can percent change be negative?
Yes. A negative percent change indicates a decrease or decline from the original value. For example, a drop from 200 to 150 produces a −25% change.
Why can't the original value be zero?
Percent change requires dividing by the original value. Dividing by zero is mathematically undefined, so the calculator returns an error when the original value is zero.
Is percent change the same as percent difference?
Not exactly. Percent change has a clear direction — it compares an old value to a new one and uses the original as the denominator. Percent difference treats both values equally and uses their average as the denominator, making it symmetric.

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