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Percentage Increase Calculator

Enter where a value started and where it ended. The percentage increase, the raw difference and the multiplier appear as you type, with the working shown.

Your two values

Enter both values in the same unit — two prices, two salaries, two counts.
Change
From 1,250 to 1,445
Calculation
(1,445 − 1,250) ÷ 1,250 × 100 = 15.6%
Percentage increase
15.6%
Difference
+195
Starting value
1,250
Final value
1,445
Multiplier
1.156×
Direction
Increase

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the starting value — the figure you are measuring the rise from.
  2. Enter the final value, in the same unit.
  3. Read the percentage increase above the supporting figures. The calculation line under the inputs shows the same sum with your numbers substituted in.

The multiplier is the quickest of the supporting figures to reuse. A 15.6% increase is a multiplier of 1.156, so any other starting value can be raised by the same proportion in one step.

How to calculate a percentage increase

A percentage increase is the amount a value gained, expressed as a share of what it started at. So the sum is one subtraction, one division and one multiplication.

Increase = (Final − Starting) ÷ |Starting| × 100
  • Starting — the value before the change, e.g. 1,250
  • Final — the value after the change, e.g. 1,445
  • Increase — the rise as a percentage, e.g. 15.6%

The bars around the starting value mean its size is used, ignoring any minus sign. That is what keeps a rise from −200 to −100 reading as a 50% increase rather than a 50% fall.

Working through the example: 1,445 − 1,250 = 195, then195 ÷ 1,250 = 0.156, and 0.156 × 100 = 15.6%.

Worked examples

Percentage increases between two values
ChangeDifferenceIncrease
1,250 → 1,445+19515.6%
40 → 50+1025%
24,000 → 26,400+2,40010%
8.50 → 9.35+0.8510%
−200 → −100+10050%

Rows three and four make the point of the calculation: a 2,400 rise on a 24,000 salary and an 0.85 rise on an 8.50 hourly rate are the same 10% increase, even though the amounts are nothing like each other.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate percentage increase?

Subtract the starting value from the final value, divide by the starting value, then multiply by 100. Going from 1,250 to 1,445 is a rise of 195, and 195 ÷ 1,250 × 100 gives a 15.6% increase.

What is the difference between the increase and the difference?

The difference is the raw amount the value moved — 195 in the example above. The percentage increase puts that amount in proportion to what you started with, which is what makes a £195 rise on £1,250 comparable to a £19.50 rise on £125.

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

Then it is a decrease, and the calculator says so above the figure. The percentage is still worked out the same way, so you can read it as a fall of that size. The percentage decrease calculator frames the same sum the other way round.

Why can I not measure an increase from zero?

Because there is nothing to measure against. Percentage increase divides by the starting value, and dividing by zero has no answer — a rise from 0 to 50 is infinite in percentage terms. Report the raw difference instead.

How do I add a percentage to a number rather than compare two numbers?

Multiply by 1 plus the percentage as a decimal: 1,250 plus 15% is 1,250 × 1.15 = 1,437.50. The percentage calculator has that as a built-in mode if you would rather not do it by hand.

Does it work with negative numbers?

Yes. The calculation divides by the size of the starting value rather than the value itself, so a move from −200 to −100 reads as a 50% increase — the value has genuinely risen by half of where it began.