1. What Is Percentage Change?

Percentage change measures the relative difference between an old value and a new value, expressed as a percentage. It quantifies how much a value has increased or decreased compared to its original amount.

2. How Does The Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage change formula:

Where:

• \( \text{New} \) — The new or current value
• \( \text{Old} \) — The original or old value
• \( \text{Change %} \) — The percentage change result

Explanation: The formula calculates the difference between new and old values, divides by the old value to get the relative change, then multiplies by 100 to convert to percentage.

3. Importance Of Percentage Change Calculation

Details: Percentage change is widely used in finance, economics, business, statistics, and everyday life to track growth rates, price changes, performance improvements, and trend analysis.

4. Using The Calculator

Tips: Enter both old and new values in the same units. The old value cannot be zero (division by zero error). Positive results indicate increase, negative results indicate decrease.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does a negative percentage change mean?
A: A negative percentage change indicates a decrease or reduction from the original value to the new value.

Q2: Can I calculate percentage change when old value is zero?
A: No, the formula requires division by the old value, so zero is not allowed as it would result in undefined calculation.

Q3: How is percentage change different from percentage difference?
A: Percentage change compares a new value to an old value, while percentage difference compares two values without designating one as reference.

Q4: What are common applications of percentage change?
A: Stock price changes, sales growth, inflation rates, population changes, test score improvements, and performance metrics.

Q5: How do I interpret a 100% change?
A: A 100% change means the value has doubled (increased by 100% of the original value).