Percent Change+ reverse it
Find the % between two numbers — increase or decrease, in one expression. Or work backwards: recover the original value, or project the final after a known change.
Old value → new value
Enter values and compute. Increases shimmer emerald; decreases burn rose.
Old value is the baseline. Sign carries the direction.
Subtract to get the raw change, divide by the baseline magnitude to make it relative. Positive means an increase, negative a decrease. Using |old| keeps the sign of the change pinned to direction, not to the sign of the baseline.
If the old value sits in A2 and the new value in B2, drop this formula into any cell and format it as a percentage.
Relative to baseline
5% → 8% is a 60% increase, because 3 ÷ 5 × 100 = 60.
Direct subtraction
5% → 8% is a 3 pp increase. Useful for rates and probabilities where the baseline is already a percentage.
How do you calculate percentage change?→
Subtract the old value from the new value, divide by the absolute value of the old value, then multiply by 100. The formula is ((new value - old value) / |old value|) x 100.
How do you calculate stock percentage change?→
Use the same percentage change formula: ((new stock price - old stock price) / old stock price) x 100. For example, a stock moving from 80 to 92 has a 15% increase because (92 - 80) / 80 x 100 = 15%.
How do you calculate a 4% increase?→
Multiply the original value by 1.04. For example, a 4% increase on 250 is 250 x 1.04 = 260. The increase amount is 10.
What is the difference between percentage increase and percentage decrease?→
A positive percentage change is an increase because the new value is larger than the old value. A negative percentage change is a decrease because the new value is smaller than the old value.
Can percentage change be more than 100%?→
Yes. An increase can be more than 100% when the new value is more than double the old value. A decrease cannot be less than -100% if the final value stays at or above zero.
Why can't the old value be zero?→
Percentage change divides by the old value. Division by zero is undefined, so a change from 0 to another value does not have a normal finite percentage change.
Is percentage change the same as percentage points?→
No. Percentage change is relative to the old value. Percentage points are the direct difference between two percentages. Moving from 5% to 8% is a 3 percentage point increase, but a 60% percentage increase.
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