How to Calculate Change in Percentage

Ever noticed how prices go up or down, your test scores improve (hopefully!), or your social media followers spike overnight? Those are all changesโ€”and knowing how to calculate the percentage change helps you see how much something increased or decreased.

Letโ€™s make it super simple. ๐Ÿ™Œ

๐Ÿ™‹ What Is Percentage Change?

Percentage change tells you how much something has increased or decreased compared to where it started.

Think of it like this:

โ€œMy score went from 70 to 84. How big of an improvement is that?โ€
Answer: Letโ€™s find out with percentage change!

โœ๏ธ The Formula for Percentage Change

Hereโ€™s the go-to formula:

Percentage Change = [(New Value - Old Value) / Old Value] ร— 100

Youโ€™ll get:

  • A positive percentage if it increased ๐Ÿ“ˆ
  • A negative percentage if it decreased ๐Ÿ“‰

๐Ÿงฎ Letโ€™s Do a Quick Example

Your electricity bill went from $100 last month to $120 this month.

Change = 120 - 100 = 20  
Percentage Change = (20 / 100) ร— 100 = 20%

โœ… Your bill increased by 20%

๐Ÿ” What If It Decreased?

Say your phone data usage went from 10GB to 7GB.

Change = 7 - 10 = -3  
Percentage Change = (-3 / 10) ร— 100 = -30%

โœ… Your data decreased by 30

๐Ÿงฎ Percentage Change Calculator

Enter the New Value, Original Value and the tool will provide the percentage change

๐Ÿงญ Quick Recap

TermMeaning
Old ValueThe original amount
New ValueThe updated amount
Positive ResultIt went up (increase)
Negative ResultIt went down (decrease)

๐Ÿ’ก Pro Tips

  • Always divide by the old/original value.
  • Round to 1 or 2 decimal places if needed.
  • Use it for tracking prices, budgets, weight changes, gradesโ€”you name it!

๐ŸŽ‰ Final Thoughts

Percentage change is one of those life skills that comes in handy all the time. Whether you’re managing money, improving your fitness, or just curious about growth, now you know exactly how to calculate it.

So next time someone says, โ€œIt increased by how much?!โ€ โ€” you can show them the math! ๐Ÿ’ช