Calculate the exact percentage increase (or change) between any two numbers. Perfect for salary raises, stock gains, inflation rates, sales growth, and price changes.
Common number pairs and their percentage increase
Enter any two numbers to instantly find the percentage increase, decrease, or change between them.
Open Percentage Calculator →The percentage increase formula measures the relative change between an old value and a new (higher) value:
Percentage Increase = [(New Value − Old Value) ÷ Old Value] × 100
The key insight is that you always divide by the original (old) value — this is what makes it a relative measure. You're asking: "By what percentage of the original did the value grow?"
Example 1: A stock price goes from $45 to $63. Increase = [(63 − 45) / 45] × 100 = [18/45] × 100 = 40% increase.
Example 2: Annual revenue grows from $2.1M to $2.73M. Increase = [(2.73 − 2.1) / 2.1] × 100 = [0.63/2.1] × 100 = 30% growth.
Example 3: Your salary increases from $68,000 to $73,440. Increase = [(73,440 − 68,000) / 68,000] × 100 = [5,440/68,000] × 100 = 8% raise.
Percentage increase calculation is most commonly used in salary negotiations and compensation analysis. Annual merit increases in the US typically range from 3–5% for standard performance and 7–12% for high performers. Calculating the exact percentage offered (or needed) during negotiations ensures you have clear, precise data rather than rough impressions. If you earned $72,000 and are offered $75,000, the increase is [(75,000 − 72,000) / 72,000] × 100 = 4.17%.
Percentage increase is the standard metric for measuring investment returns. If you purchased shares at $42.50 and they're now worth $58.75, your return is [(58.75 − 42.50) / 42.50] × 100 = 38.2%. Compare this to index benchmarks (S&P 500 annual returns average ~10% historically) to evaluate performance. Note: percentage return and annualized return are different calculations — percentage return doesn't account for the time period.
Inflation is expressed as a percentage increase in the price level — typically the Consumer Price Index (CPI). When the CPI goes from 300 to 309, annual inflation is [(309 − 300) / 300] × 100 = 3%. Understanding inflation percentage increases helps you assess whether your salary increases are keeping pace with rising costs — a 3% raise during 5% inflation is effectively a 2% real pay cut.
Year-over-year revenue growth, website traffic growth, user base expansion, and unit sales growth are all expressed as percentage increases. These are the core metrics in quarterly earnings reports, investor presentations, and performance reviews. A company that grew from $50M to $67.5M in annual revenue achieved 35% revenue growth — a strong performance in most industries.
One of the most common and consequential numerical errors in business and media is conflating percentage increase with percentage point change. If a product's market share grows from 20% to 25%, that is a 5 percentage point increase, but a 25% percentage increase [(25−20)/20 × 100 = 25%]. Politicians and marketers sometimes exploit this ambiguity — "we grew 25%!" (percentage increase) sounds more impressive than "we gained 5 percentage points" (the actual share change). Always clarify which metric is being used when dealing with percentages of percentages.
Percentage Increase = [(New Value − Old Value) / Old Value] × 100. Example: 80 to 100 = [(100−80)/80] × 100 = 25%. Always divide by the original (old) value.
[(New Salary − Old Salary) / Old Salary] × 100. Example: $55K to $60K = [(60,000−55,000)/55,000] × 100 = 9.09% raise.
Percentage increase is relative to the original value; percentage points are an absolute arithmetic difference. If rates go from 3% to 4%, that is 1 percentage point but a 33.3% percentage increase. These are frequently (and sometimes deliberately) confused in media.
[(This Period − Last Period) / Last Period] × 100. Example: $120K to $156K in sales = [(156K−120K)/120K] × 100 = 30% growth.