About this calculator
The Percentage Increase Calculator finds how much, in percentage terms, a value has grown between an initial amount and a final amount.
How is percentage increase calculated?
Percentage increase is calculated by subtracting the original value from the new value, dividing that difference by the original value, and multiplying by 100: Percentage Increase = (New − Original) ÷ Original × 100. Like percentage decrease, the result is always relative to the original (starting) value.
Why not just subtract the two numbers?
A raw difference doesn't show how big the change is relative to where it started. Revenue growing by $5,000 is dramatic for a business that started at $10,000, but insignificant for one that started at $10 million. Percentage increase standardizes the comparison so growth can be judged fairly across very different starting points.
Where percentage increase is used
This is one of the most common calculations in finance and business — tracking salary raises, investment returns, revenue growth, or price inflation — as well as in everyday contexts like population growth or improvements in a personal best. It's worth noting that a percentage increase followed by the same percentage decrease does not return you to the original value, since each is calculated on a different base.