Percentage Increase: How to Calculate It Quickly

April 25, 2025 3 min read

Knowing how to calculate percentage increase is a valuable skill in many areas of life, from tracking personal finances to understanding business growth. Percentage increase represents the extent to which a quantity has grown relative to its initial value. It's a simple yet powerful tool for analyzing change.

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The Percentage Increase Formula

The formula to calculate percentage increase is as follows:

Percentage Increase = [(New Value - Original Value) / Original Value] * 100

Let's break down what each part of the formula means:

  • New Value: The value you are comparing to.
  • Original Value: The starting value you are comparing from.

This calculation results in a percentage that represents the relative change between the two values.

Step-by-Step Calculation

  1. Find the Difference: Subtract the original value from the new value. This gives you the amount of the increase.
  2. Divide by the Original Value: Divide the increase by the original value. This gives you a decimal representation of the increase.
  3. Multiply by 100: Multiply the decimal by 100 to express the increase as a percentage.

Example Calculation

Let's say a product cost $50 last year, and this year it costs $60. What is the percentage increase in price?

  1. Find the Difference: $60 (New Value) - $50 (Original Value) = $10
  2. Divide by the Original Value: $10 / $50 = 0.2
  3. Multiply by 100: 0.2 * 100 = 20%

Therefore, the price of the product increased by 20%.

Real-World Applications

Percentage increase is used in a variety of situations, including:

  • Finance: Calculating investment returns, tracking sales growth, and analyzing budget changes.
  • Retail: Determining price increases or decreases, and analyzing sales trends.
  • Science: Measuring population growth, tracking experimental results, and analyzing data changes.

Understanding percentage increase allows for informed decision-making and meaningful comparisons across different datasets.

Calculate Quickly with Our Percentage Calculator

While understanding the formula is important, sometimes you need a quick and accurate calculation. That's where our percentage calculator comes in handy. You can use our calculator to solve different percentage problems and easily determine the percentage increase between any two numbers. No need to do any math yourself, just enter the values and go!

Beyond Increase: Exploring Other Percentage Calculations

While we've focused on percentage increase, our tool can handle a wide range of percentage problems. Need to know what is 15% of 200? Or perhaps 30 is what percent of 150? Our calculator has you covered! It's not just about /blog/calculate-percentage-increase; it's a comprehensive percentage solution.

Percentage Increase vs. Percentage Change

It's important to note the subtle difference between percentage increase and overall percentage change. Percentage increase specifically focuses on situations where the final value is *higher* than the initial value. A more general percentage change calculation can also handle decreases.

Example Problem: Salary Increase

Imagine your salary increased from $50,000 to $55,000. Let's use the formula:

Percentage Increase = [($55,000 - $50,000) / $50,000] * 100

Percentage Increase = [$5,000 / $50,000] * 100

Percentage Increase = 0.1 * 100

Percentage Increase = 10%

Congratulations! You received a 10% raise.

Making Calculations Easier

Calculating percentages doesn't have to be a chore. Our free tool can assist you with finding any percentage with ease.