Percentage Change Formula:
From: | To: |
Definition: This calculator measures the percentage difference between an old value and a new value.
Purpose: It helps analyze growth, decline, or change in various contexts like finance, statistics, and business metrics.
The calculator uses the formula:
Where:
Explanation: The difference between values is divided by the original value to get relative change, then multiplied by 100 to convert to percentage.
Details: Percentage change provides a standardized way to compare changes across different scales and units, making trends easier to interpret.
Tips: Enter both old and new values. The old value cannot be zero (division by zero is undefined).
Q1: What does a negative percentage mean?
A: A negative percentage indicates a decrease from the old value to the new value.
Q2: What's the difference between percentage change and percentage difference?
A: Percentage change compares two values over time, while percentage difference compares two simultaneous values.
Q3: How do I interpret a percentage increase from 0?
A: Percentage change from zero is undefined mathematically, as it requires division by zero.
Q4: Can I calculate percentage decrease?
A: Yes, the same formula works - a decrease will simply show as a negative percentage.
Q5: What's a good percentage change?
A: This depends entirely on context - in finance, 5% might be significant, while in population growth it might be modest.