Percentage Change Formula:
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Percentage change measures the relative difference between an old value and a new value, expressed as a percentage. It is widely used in finance, economics, statistics, and everyday life to track growth, decline, or variation over time.
The calculator uses the percentage change formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula calculates the relative difference between two values and expresses it as a percentage. A positive result indicates increase, while a negative result indicates decrease.
Details: Percentage change is essential for analyzing trends, comparing data over time, making investment decisions, tracking performance metrics, and understanding growth patterns in various fields.
Tips: Enter both new and old values in the same units. The old value cannot be zero as division by zero is undefined. Results show percentage change with two decimal places.
Q1: What does a negative percentage change mean?
A: A negative percentage change indicates a decrease or reduction from the old value to the new value.
Q2: How is percentage change different from percentage difference?
A: Percentage change compares two values over time (sequential), while percentage difference compares two distinct values at the same time (non-sequential).
Q3: Can percentage change exceed 100%?
A: Yes, percentage change can exceed 100% when the new value is more than double the old value, indicating substantial growth.
Q4: What if the old value is zero?
A: Percentage change cannot be calculated when the old value is zero because division by zero is mathematically undefined.
Q5: How is percentage change used in real-world applications?
A: Commonly used in stock market analysis, sales growth tracking, inflation rates, population changes, and performance metrics in business and science.