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Percentage Increase Calculator

Two tools: find the percentage increase (or decrease) from one value to another, and apply a given percent increase or decrease to a number. Both show their steps — including the base value the division uses, where most mistakes happen.

Percentage increase from A to B

fromto=

Increase (or decrease) X by P%

% =

Percentage increase formula

Percentage increase divides the change by the ORIGINAL value — not the new one. Going from 50 to 65 is +30% because 15 ÷ 50 = 0.30. The same 15 measured against 65 would wrongly give 23%:

Applying an increase works the other way: an increase of p% multiplies by (1 + p/100), a decrease by (1 − p/100). Increases don't cancel symmetrically — +50% then −50% lands at 75% of where you started, because the second change uses a bigger base.

increase % = (new − original) ÷ original × 100
new value = original × (1 + p ÷ 100)

Worked examples

Example 1: rent increase

Rent goes from $1,400 to $1,575 — what's the percentage increase?

  1. Find the change.
    1,575 − 1,400 = 175
  2. Divide by the original and convert to percent.
    175 ÷ 1,400 × 100 = 12.5%

A 12.5% increase.

Example 2: applying a raise

A $62,000 salary gets a 4% raise.

  1. The multiplier for +4%.
    1 + 4/100 = 1.04
  2. Multiply.
    62,000 × 1.04 = 64,480

New salary: $64,480.

Example 3: increase vs decrease asymmetry

A stock rises 25% then falls 25%. Back to even?

  1. Apply the rise to 100.
    100 × 1.25 = 125
  2. Apply the fall to the NEW base.
    125 × 0.75 = 93.75

No — you end 6.25% down. Percent changes compound on changing bases.

FAQ

Percentage increase vs percentage change — any difference?+

Percentage change is the signed version: +12.5% is an increase, −12.5% a decrease. The formula is identical; "increase" just names the positive direction. This page handles both (a decrease shows as negative).

Why divide by the original value and not the new one?+

Because the question is "how much did it grow relative to where it started". Dividing by the new value answers a different question and always understates increases — a common trick in misleading statistics.

How do I reverse an increase — find the original value?+

Divide by the multiplier instead of subtracting the percent. If a price is $240 after a 20% increase, the original was 240 ÷ 1.20 = $200, not 240 − 20% = $192.

What's the percentage increase from 0?+

Undefined — you can't divide by zero. Growth from nothing is reported as absolute change or with phrases like "from zero", never as a percentage.

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