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Percentage change calculator

Last year's sales, the old price, the first reading.

Percentage increase

12.5% increase

48,000 to 54,000 is a change of 6,000, which is 12.5% of the original 48,000.

Change
6,000

Working

  1. Change = new figure − original figure = 54,000 − 48,000 = 6,000.
  2. Percentage change = change ÷ original figure × 100 = 6,000 ÷ 48,000 × 100 = 12.5%.

Your result

12.5% increase. 48,000 to 54,000 is a change of 6,000, which is 12.5% of the original 48,000.

Use percentages on market data

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Percentage change = (new figure − original figure) ÷ original figure × 100: a rise from 48,000 to 54,000 is 12.5%.

Questions people ask

What is the percentage change formula?

Percentage change = (new figure − original figure) ÷ original figure × 100. Sales rising from £48,000 to £54,000 is a £6,000 rise, and 6,000 ÷ 48,000 × 100 = 12.5%.

How do you work out a percentage decrease?

Use the same formula; the answer comes out negative. A price cut from £25 to £20 is −5 ÷ 25 × 100 = −20%, a 20% decrease.

What is the difference between a percentage change and a percentage point change?

When the figures are themselves percentages, the gap between them is in percentage points. A market share rising from 20% to 25% is up 5 percentage points, which is a 25% increase in the share.

Why does a 50% rise followed by a 50% fall not get back to the start?

The fall is a percentage of a bigger number. £100 up 50% is £150, and £150 down 50% is £75.

Keep going

How we work this out

What it does

Enter an original and a new figure to get the percentage increase or decrease, with the formula and working.

Percentages and percentage changes, a quantitative skill in both GCSE Business specifications (Edexcel 1BS0 Appendix 2; AQA 8132 section 6), used for sales, prices, costs and market share.

Method

  1. Change = new figure − original figure.
  2. Percentage change = change ÷ original figure × 100.
  3. A negative answer is a percentage decrease.