1. What is a Percentage Change Calculator?

Definition: This calculator measures the relative change between an old value and a new value expressed as a percentage.

Purpose: It helps analyze growth, decline, or change in various contexts like finance, statistics, and business metrics.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• New — The current or updated value
• Old — The original or previous value

Explanation: The difference between new and old values is divided by the old value, then multiplied by 100 to convert to percentage.

3. Importance of Percentage Change

Details: Percentage change standardizes comparisons between different scales and magnitudes, making trends easier to interpret.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both old and new values. The old value cannot be zero (division by zero is undefined).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does a negative percentage mean?
A: A negative percentage indicates a decrease from the old value to the new value.

Q2: What if my old value is zero?
A: Percentage change is undefined when the old value is zero, as you cannot divide by zero.

Q3: How do I interpret a 100% increase?
A: A 100% increase means the new value is double the old value (200% of the original).

Q4: What's the difference between percentage change and percentage point change?
A: Percentage change is relative to the original value, while percentage points measure absolute difference between percentages.

Q5: Can I calculate percentage decrease?
A: Yes, a percentage decrease will automatically show as a negative result.