Percent Growth Calculator

Percent growth (also called percent change) tells you how much a value has increased or decreased relative to its starting point, expressed as a percentage. It is one of the most widely used calculations in finance, business, science, and everyday life — from measuring year-over-year revenue growth and tracking investment returns to comparing population figures, monitoring personal fitness progress, and analysing economic data. A positive result indicates growth; a negative result indicates a decline. Because the starting value is the denominator, percent growth is a directional measure — it quantifies movement from a specific point in time, which is what makes it different from percent difference, where neither value is treated as the baseline. Expressing growth as a percentage rather than a raw number also makes comparisons meaningful across entirely different scales — a $500 increase in a $2,000 salary and a $5,000 increase in a $20,000 investment both represent exactly 25% growth, instantly communicating proportional magnitude in a way raw numbers alone cannot.

The calculator uses the standard percent growth formula: (new − old) ÷ |old| × 100. First, the difference between the new and old values is found by subtracting the old from the new. That difference is then divided by the absolute value of the old value, which handles edge cases where the starting point is negative (such as a company recovering from a loss). Multiplying by 100 converts the ratio to a percentage. A positive result indicates growth or an increase from the starting value, while a negative result indicates a decline or decrease. Using the absolute value of the old figure in the denominator prevents sign errors when tracking changes from negative baselines, ensuring that an improvement from a negative value correctly produces a positive growth percentage.