All calculators

Percentage Decrease Calculator

Enter where a value started and where it ended. The percentage decrease, the amount lost and the share of the original left appear as you type.

Your two values

Enter both values in the same unit — two prices, two weights, two counts.
Change
From 750 to 590
Calculation
(750 − 590) ÷ 750 × 100 = 21.33%
Percentage decrease
21.33%
Difference
−160
Starting value
750
Final value
590
Share of the original
78.67%
Direction
Decrease

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the starting value — the figure the fall is measured from.
  2. Enter the final value, in the same unit.
  3. Read the percentage decrease above the supporting figures, and check the calculation line under the inputs, which shows the sum with your own numbers in it.

The share of the original is the figure to keep for discounts. A 30% decrease leaves 70% to pay, so any other price can be discounted by the same proportion by multiplying by 0.7.

How to calculate a percentage decrease

A percentage decrease is the amount a value lost, expressed as a share of what it started at. The starting value is always the baseline — swapping the two numbers changes the answer.

Decrease = (Starting − Final) ÷ |Starting| × 100
  • Starting — the value before the change, e.g. 750
  • Final — the value after the change, e.g. 590
  • Decrease — the fall as a percentage, e.g. 21.33%

Working through the example: 750 − 590 = 160, then160 ÷ 750 = 0.213333, and 0.213333 × 100 = 21.33%.

The bars around the starting value mean its size is used, ignoring any minus sign, so a fall from −100 to −200 reads as a 100% decrease rather than a rise.

Worked examples

Percentage decreases between two values
ChangeDifferenceDecrease
750 → 590−16021.33%
100 → 10−9090%
5,000 → 1,000−4,00080%
1,000 → 950−505%
80 → 60−2025%

The middle rows show how far a percentage can be from the raw amount: a 90 fall on 100 and a 4,000 fall on 5,000 look nothing alike, but one is a 90% loss and the other 80%.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate percentage decrease?

Subtract the final value from the starting value, divide by the starting value, then multiply by 100. Going from 750 to 590 is a fall of 160, and 160 ÷ 750 × 100 gives a 21.33% decrease.

How do I take a percentage off a price?

Multiply by 1 minus the percentage as a decimal. Taking 25% off 80 means 80 × 0.75 = 60. Working the other way, if a price fell from 80 to 60 you can enter both values here and get the 25% back.

Why is a 25% fall not undone by a 25% rise?

Because the second percentage is taken from a different number. Take 25% off 80 and you have 60; add 25% back to 60 and you have 75, not 80. Reversing a 25% fall needs a 33.33% rise, since the base has shrunk.

Can a percentage decrease be more than 100%?

Only if the value falls past zero. A drop from 200 to −50 is a 125% decrease, which is why it usually signals a value that has gone negative rather than simply shrunk. A fall to exactly zero is always 100%.

What does the share of the original mean?

It is what is left, as a percentage. A 21.33% decrease leaves 78.67% of the original value standing, and the two always add up to 100%. It is the figure to use when a discount is described as "pay 80% of list price".

What if the final value is larger than the starting value?

Then it has gone up, and the calculator says so above the figure rather than reporting a negative decrease. The percentage increase calculator frames the same sum the other way round.