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Percentage Change Calculator

Percentage change measures how much a value grew or shrank relative to where it started. Enter the old and new numbers to see the change as a percentage, with its direction and the raw difference.

Your numbers

Result

Percentage change
25%
Absolute change
50
Direction
Increase
From old to new
ItemValue
Old value200
New value250
Absolute change+50
Percentage change+25%
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How to calculate percentage change

Subtract the old value from the new, divide by the old value, and multiply by 100: (new − old) ÷ old × 100. Going from 200 to 250 is (250 − 200) ÷ 200 × 100 = +25%. A negative result means a decrease — 200 down to 150 is −25%.

Why increases and decreases are not symmetric

A rise and the equal-looking fall are not the same size, because the base changes. A 50% drop from 200 lands at 100; getting back to 200 from 100 needs a 100% rise, not 50%. This is why a stock that falls 50% must double just to recover — the percentages measure against different starting points.

Percent change vs percentage points

Be careful with percentages of percentages. If an interest rate moves from 4% to 6%, that is a rise of 2 percentage points, but a 50% percentage change. News headlines often blur the two; this calculator reports the percentage change of the numbers you enter.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Embed this calculator

Copy the code and paste it into your site or blog. Credit with a link back to Contania is included, and the height adjusts itself.

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