How to Calculate Percentage Increase

Percentage increase formula

To calculate percentage increase, subtract the original value from the new value, divide that increase by the original value, and multiply by 100.

Example: increase from 100 to 125

The increase is 25. Divide 25 by the original value, 100, to get 0.25. Multiply by 100 to get a 25% increase.

Price example

If a price rises from $80 to $92, the increase is $12. $12 ÷ $80 = 0.15, so the percentage increase is 15%.

Salary example

If annual pay rises from $50,000 to $53,000, the increase is $3,000. $3,000 ÷ $50,000 = 0.06, so the raise is 6%. For more payroll examples, see how to calculate a pay raise.

Check a percentage increase with the reverse calculation

After calculating a percentage increase, multiply the original value by 1 + (percentage ÷ 100) to check the new value. For an $80 starting price and a 15% increase: $80 × 1.15 = $92. This reverse check catches a common mistake: dividing the $12 change by the new $92 price, which would incorrectly produce about 13.04% instead of 15%.

Why the original value is the denominator

Percentage increase measures the change relative to where you started. Dividing by the new value answers a different question and produces the wrong percentage increase.

Percentage increase vs. percentage points

A change from 20% to 25% is an increase of 5 percentage points. Relative to the original 20%, it is a 25% increase.

What if the starting value is zero?

The standard percentage-change formula is undefined because it requires division by zero. You can still report the numeric increase, but not a standard percentage increase.

Excel and Google Sheets formula

Format the result cell as a percentage. For a decrease, the same formula returns a negative result.

Related percentage tools

Use the percentage decrease formula, percent difference calculator, or discount calculator for related problems.