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Percentage Change Calculator

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The Percentage Change Calculator will calculate:

  1. The percentage increase or decrease when the original (initial) and new (actual) value of a quantity are given.

Percentage Change Calculator Parameters:

Percentage Change Calculator
Percentage Change Calculator Results (detailed calculations and formula below)
Percentage increase, c = % [percent]
Percentage decrease, d = % [percent]
Percentage Increase formula and calculations
Percentage increase = Actual value - Initial value/Initial value × 100%
Percentage increase = b - a/a × 100%
Percentage increase = - / × 100%
Percentage increase = / × 100%
Percentage increase = × 100%
Percentage increase =
Percentage decrease formula and calculations
Percentage decrease = Initial value - Actual value/Initial value × 100%
Percentage decrease = a - b/a × 100%
Percentage decrease = - / × 100%
Percentage decrease = / × 100%
Percentage decrease = × 100%
Percentage decrease =
Percentage Change Calculator Input Values
Initial value (a) =
Actual value (b) =

Please note that the formula for each calculation along with detailed calculations is shown further below this page. As you enter the specific factors of each percentage change calculation, the Percentage Change Calculator will automatically calculate the results and update the formula elements with each element of the percentage change calculation. You can then email or print this percentage change calculation as required for later use.

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Please provide a rating, it takes seconds and helps us to keep this resource free for all to use

[ 8 Votes ]
Percentage Change. This image shows the properties and percentage change formula for the Percentage Change

Related Fields with Tutorials

  1. Finance
  2. Statistics
  3. Physics

Theoretical description

A simple percentage change occurs when a value increases or decreases in respect to the original value and the result of this change (increase or decrease) is expressed as a percentage. The formula used for percentage change in general is

% change = change in value/original value × 100%

If the value of a quantity increases in respect to the original, we have a percentage increase involved. In this case, the formula used to express this percentage increase is

Percentage increase = Actual value - Initial value/Initial value × 100%

This is because the actual value is greater than the initial value and the difference between these two values must be positive.

On the other hand, when we have a simple percentage decrease involved, the actual value is smaller than the original; as a result, we swap the terms in the numerator of the formula above. Thus, we obtain

Percentage decrease = Initial value - Actual value/Initial value × 100%

For example, if the number of students in a school increases by 5% due to a successful advertising campaign, where the original number was 540, the number of registered students in this school is actually

Percentage increase = Actual value - Initial value/Initial value × 100%
Percentage increase × Initial value = (Actual value - Initial value) × 100%
5% × 540 = (Actual value - Initial value) × 100%
0.05 × 540 = Actual value - 540
27 = Actual value - 540
Actual value = 27 + 540 = 567

On the other hand, if the price of a product from $60 (Initial value = 60) becomes 56 (final value = 56), the percentage decrease of the price of this product is

Percentage decrease = $60 - $56/$60 × 100%
= $4/$60 × 100%
= 6.67%

Percentages Math Tutorials associated with the Percentage Change Calculator

The following Math tutorials are provided within the Percentages section of our Free Math Tutorials. Each Percentages tutorial includes detailed Percentages formula and example of how to calculate and resolve specific Percentages questions and problems. At the end of each Percentages tutorial you will find Percentages revision questions with a hidden answer that reveal when clicked. This allows you to learn about Percentages and test your knowledge of Math by answering the revision questions on Percentages.

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