How to Calculate Percent Change

How do I calculate percent change?

Percent change measures how much a value has increased or decreased relative to its original amount, expressed as a percentage. It's calculated by finding the difference between the new and old values, dividing by the old value, and multiplying by 100.

Steps

  1. Find the difference between the new value and the old value by subtracting: (New Value - Old Value).
  2. Divide this difference by the original (old) value to get the relative change.
  3. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.
  4. If the result is positive, it's a percent increase; if negative, it's a percent decrease.

Worked example

Suppose a shirt's price increased from $20 to $25. The difference is $25 - $20 = $5. Dividing by the original price gives $5 ÷ $20 = 0.25. Multiplying by 100 gives 0.25 × 100 = 25%. The price increased by 25%.

Remember

Percent change always compares the difference to the original value, showing the relative size of the change rather than just the absolute difference.

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