Percentage Increase Calculator
Find the percentage increase between two numbers, or add a percentage to a number. Both update as you type.
Percentage increase from one value to another
Absolute difference
25
New value as a share of old
150%
Percentage increase
+50%
(75 − 50) ÷ 50 × 100
Increase a number by a percent
The other direction: you know the percentage and want the new value.
Increase X by P%
Amount added
30
New value
230
200 × 1.15
The percentage increase formula
Percentage increase = (New − Old) ÷ Old × 100
The order matters. You divide by the old value, because the increase is measured against where you started. Dividing by the new value answers a different question.
Worked example — 50 rises to 75
75 − 50 = 25
25 ÷ 50 = 0.5
0.5 × 100 = 50
So 50 to 75 is a 50% increase.
Adding a percentage to a number
To go the other way, multiply by 1 plus the percentage as a decimal:
New value = Old value × (1 + Percent ÷ 100)
Adding 15% to 200 is 200 × 1.15 = 230. Doing it in one multiplication is both faster and less error-prone than working out 15% and adding it on.
Percentage increase is not symmetric
Going from 50 to 75 is a 50% increase. Going back from 75 to 50 is a 33.3% decrease. The two figures differ because the base changed: the first is measured against 50, the second against 75.
This is why an investment that falls 50% needs a 100% gain to break even, not another 50%.
Percentage increase and percentage points
These are different measurements and mixing them up is the most common error in reporting.
- An interest rate moving from 4% to 5% is a rise of one percentage point.
- The same move is a 25% increase, because 1 ÷ 4 × 100 = 25.
Use percentage points when comparing two percentages. Use percentage increase when comparing two quantities.
Starting from zero
There is no percentage increase from zero. The formula divides by the original value, and dividing by zero has no answer. Report the absolute change instead — "up from 0 to 40" — rather than an infinite percentage.
Common questions
- What is the formula for percentage increase?
- Percentage increase = (new value − old value) ÷ old value × 100. Subtract the old value from the new one, divide by the old value, then multiply by 100.
- How do I increase a number by a percentage?
- Multiply the number by 1 plus the percentage as a decimal. To add 15% to 200: 200 × 1.15 = 230.
- Can a percentage increase be more than 100%?
- Yes. An increase of more than 100% means the value more than doubled. Going from 50 to 150 is a 200% increase.
- Why can I not work out a percentage increase from zero?
- The formula divides by the starting value. Dividing by zero has no answer, so any rise away from zero is an undefined percentage increase rather than an infinite one.
- Is a percentage increase the same as a percentage point rise?
- No. Going from 4% to 5% is a rise of one percentage point, but a 25% increase. Percentage points measure the gap between two percentages; percentage increase measures the relative change.