Ever wondered how much your grocery bill went up this month? Or how to measure the glow-up of your Instagram followers? That’s where percentage increase comes in. And the good news? It’s way easier than it sounds!
Let’s break it down—no calculator panic, just real-life math made simple.
Table of Contents
🙋 What Is Percentage Increase?
A percentage increase tells you how much something grew, based on its original size. It’s super handy when you’re comparing “before and after” numbers.
For example:
If your phone bill went from $40 to $50, how much did it increase in percentage terms?
We’ll get there!
📝 The Magic Formula
Here’s the no-fuss formula for percentage increase:
Percentage Increase = [(New Value - Original Value) / Original Value] × 100
Let’s plug in that phone bill:
= [(50 - 40) / 40] × 100
= (10 / 40) × 100
= 0.25 × 100
= 25%
Boom! That’s a 25% increase. (Also: time to call your service provider?)
💡 Step-by-Step: The Easy Way
- Subtract the original value from the new value.
→ This gives you the amount of increase. - Divide the increase by the original value.
→ This tells you how big the increase is compared to the starting point. - Multiply the result by 100.
→ Hello, percentage!
📦 Real-World Examples
📈 You got a raise!
Your salary went from $3,000 to $3,300.
- Increase: $300
- Percentage Increase:
(300 ÷ 3000) × 100 = 10%
You’re 10% richer. Go you!
🛍️ That shirt’s more expensive now
Price rose from $20 to $25.
- Increase: $5
- Percentage Increase:
(5 ÷ 20) × 100 = 25%
Fashion got 25% fancier (or just pricier).
🐶 Your dog gained weight
From 10 kg to 12 kg:
- Increase: 2 kg
- Percentage Increase:
(2 ÷ 10) × 100 = 20%
Puppy’s living large.
🤯 Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don’t flip the numbers! Always divide by the original value, not the new one.
- Only use this for increases — if the number goes down, you’re calculating a percentage decrease instead.
✨ Why It’s Useful
Percentage increase is everywhere:
- Comparing prices
- Tracking progress (fitness, followers, finances)
- Understanding data at school or work
- Making decisions based on real change
Once you know how to calculate it, you’ll start seeing it everywhere—and impressing people with your math ninja skills.
🧮 Percentage Increase Calculator
To make things a little easier, we’ve created a calculator tool.
Enter the Original Value and the New Value and the tool will calculate the percentage increase
🧠 Final Thoughts
Calculating percentage increase is like a life skill that sneaks up on you. Once you know it, you’ll use it for everything from shopping deals to bragging about your side hustle’s growth.
So next time you want to measure a win (or a wallet hit), just remember:
[(New – Original) ÷ Original] × 100 = % Increase.
You got this. And if not, hey—there’s always a calculator!