Percentage Change Calculator

Percentage change measures how much a value has increased or decreased relative to its original value, expressed as a percentage. It is calculated as (new value - original value) divided by the absolute value of the original value, multiplied by 100. A positive result indicates an increase, and a negative result indicates a decrease.

The formula is: percentage change = ((new value - original value) / |original value|) * 100. For example, if a price goes from 100 to 120, the percentage change is ((120 - 100) / 100) * 100 = 20%. If it goes from 100 to 80, the percentage change is ((80 - 100) / 100) * 100 = -20%.

The absolute value ensures that the percentage change is always relative to the magnitude of the original value, regardless of whether that value is positive or negative. This provides a consistent way to measure change and prevents division by negative numbers from creating misleading results.

Yes. If a value increases from 10 to 50, the percentage change is 400%. If a value decreases to zero, the percentage change is -100%. Percentage change can exceed these bounds in either direction, representing very large increases or decreases.

Absolute change is simply the difference between the new and original values (new - original). Percentage change expresses this difference as a percentage of the original value. For example, if a value changes from 100 to 120, the absolute change is 20, and the percentage change is 20%. Percentage change is more useful for comparing changes across different scales.