Percentage Increase Calculator
Calculate percentage increase, decrease, and absolute change between two values, or find a new value from a percentage.
Original and New Value
+25.00%
Absolute Change
+30
Formula With Your Numbers
((150 − 120) ÷ 120) × 100 = 25.00%Comparing two numbers to see how much something grew or shrank is one of the most common calculations in business, school, and everyday budgeting. This percentage increase calculator takes an original value and a new value and instantly returns the percent change, the absolute change, and whether it is an increase or a decrease. It is built for students checking homework, analysts comparing sales figures, shoppers comparing prices, and anyone who needs a quick, accurate answer without doing the math by hand. A second mode flips the calculation around: enter an original value and a percentage, and the tool tells you the resulting new value, useful for applying a raise, a discount, or a markup. This kind of comparison also comes up frequently in finance, retail pricing, and performance reviews, wherever two numbers need to be compared over time. Every result shows the formula with your actual numbers substituted in, so you can see exactly how the answer was reached, and you can copy the final figure with one click. Percentage growth, percent gain, uplift, and improvement percentage all use this same calculation — only the label changes depending on whether you are comparing revenue, prices, investments, or scores.
How to Use This Calculator
1. Choose a calculation mode
Use Find % Change to compare two known values, or Find New Value to apply a percentage to a starting value.
2. Enter your values
Type the original value and either the new value or the percentage change.
3. Read the result
The calculator shows the percentage, the absolute change, and the direction (increase or decrease).
4. Copy the formula or result
Use the copy button to grab the final number for a report, spreadsheet, or assignment.
How It Works
Percentage increase between two values
Percentage Change = ((New Value − Original Value) ÷ Original Value) × 100Example: if a product price moves from $120 to $150, the change is ((150 − 120) ÷ 120) × 100 = 25%. Since the result is positive, this is a 25% increase, with an absolute change of $30.
Increase a number by a percentage
New Value = Original × (1 + Percentage ÷ 100)Example: increasing 540 by 12.5% gives 540 × 1.125 = 607.50, an increase of 67.50.
Percentage decrease
Percentage Decrease = ((Original − New) ÷ Original) × 100Example: falling from 150 to 120 is a 20% decrease, because (30 ÷ 150) × 100 = 20.
Percentage Increase Examples
These are worked answers for common percent increase questions. Each one uses the same formula: subtract the original value from the new value, divide by the original value, then multiply by 100.
Percent increase between two values
| From | To | Change | Percent increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | 150 | +30 | 25% |
| 150 | 180 | +30 | 20% |
| 80 | 120 | +40 | 50% |
| 150 | 250 | +100 | 66.67% |
| 250 | 300 | +50 | 20% |
| 5 | 8 | +3 | 60% |
| 440 | 600 | +160 | 36.36% |
| 187 | 272 | +85 | 45.45% |
| 500,000 | 700,000 | +200,000 | 40% |
| 800,000 | 1,000,000 | +200,000 | 25% |
| 500,000 | 900,000 | +400,000 | 80% |
Increase a number by a percentage
| Starting number | Increase by | Amount added | New value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | 25% | +30 | 150 |
| 540 | 12.5% | +67.5 | 607.5 |
| 52 | 25% | +13 | 65 |
| 30 | 10% | +3 | 33 |
| 3,250 | 16.5% | +536.25 | 3,786.25 |
| 31 | 108% | +33.48 | 64.48 |
| 300 | 1% | +3 | 303 |
| 100 | 1,500% | +1,500 | 1,600 |
Percent Increase Word Problems
A clothing store buys a hat for $40 and sells it to customers for $52. What is the percent increase from the store's cost to the customer's price?
Answer: 30%
((52 − 40) ÷ 40) × 100 = 30%Last year a popular brand of running shoes cost $75.99 a pair. The new model costs $95.99. What is the percent increase in price, to the nearest tenth?
Answer: 26.3%
((95.99 − 75.99) ÷ 75.99) × 100 = 26.3%The price of an airline ticket was $320 and is now $400. What is the percent increase?
Answer: 25%
((400 − 320) ÷ 320) × 100 = 25%A music video receives 5,000 comments on release day, then 1,500 more the next day. What is the percent increase in comments?
Answer: 30%
((6,500 − 5,000) ÷ 5,000) × 100 = 30%The new total is 5,000 + 1,500 = 6,500.
A board is 25 feet long and is extended by 5 feet. What is the percent increase in length?
Answer: 20%
((30 − 25) ÷ 25) × 100 = 20%The new length is 25 + 5 = 30 feet.
Percentage Growth, Gain, and Improvement
Percentage growth, percentage gain, uplift, and percentage improvement are all the same calculation as percentage increase. Growth is the usual word for revenue, users, or populations, gain for investments, and improvement for test scores or performance. The label changes; the formula and the result do not.
Be careful with percentages of percentages. If a rate rises from 10% to 15%, that is a 5 percentage-point increase, but a 50% increase relative to the original rate. Use percentage points when you want the raw gap between two percentages, and percentage increase when you want the change relative to the starting point.
If the value went down, use the percentage decrease calculator. If you are comparing two values and neither is the original, the percentage difference calculator is the fairer measure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate percentage increase?
Subtract the original value from the new value, divide by the original value, then multiply by 100. For example, going from 120 to 150 is ((150 − 120) ÷ 120) × 100 = 25% increase.
What is the difference between percentage increase and percentage change?
Percentage change is the general term covering both increases and decreases. Percentage increase specifically describes a positive change, while percentage decrease describes a negative one. This calculator reports the direction automatically.
How do I find the new value after a percentage increase?
Multiply the original value by the percentage as a decimal, then add that to the original value. For example, a 25% increase on 120 is 120 + (120 × 0.25) = 150.
Can this calculator handle a percentage decrease?
Yes. Enter a negative percentage in the Find New Value mode, or enter a new value smaller than the original in the Find % Change mode, and the calculator labels the result as a decrease.
Why can't the original value be zero?
Percentage change is calculated by dividing by the original value. Dividing by zero is mathematically undefined, so the calculator shows an error if the original value is zero.
How do I calculate percentage growth, gain, or improvement?
They all use the same formula as percentage increase: ((new value − original value) ÷ original value) × 100. Growth is the usual word for revenue, users, or populations, gain for investments, and improvement for scores or performance, but the number you get is identical.
How do I calculate a price increase percentage?
Use the old price as the original value and the new price as the new value. For example, a pair of shoes going from $75.99 to $95.99 is ((95.99 − 75.99) ÷ 75.99) × 100 ≈ 26.3%.
What does "increase 152 by 18" mean?
It depends on whether 18 is an amount or a percentage. Increasing 152 by 18 as an amount gives 170, which is an 11.8% increase. Increasing 152 by 18% gives 152 × 1.18 = 179.36. This calculator's Find New Value mode handles the percentage version.
What is a 100 percent increase?
A 100% increase doubles the original value. For example, 50 increased by 100% becomes 100, and 2 increased by 100% becomes 4.
What is the difference between a percentage increase and percentage points?
If a rate rises from 10% to 15%, that is a 5 percentage-point increase but a 50% increase relative to the original rate, because (15 − 10) ÷ 10 × 100 = 50. Percentage points measure the raw gap between two percentages; percentage increase measures the gap relative to where you started.
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