Frequently Asked Questions
This is a common point of confusion. Percentage change is a relative change (e.g., from 50 to 75 is a 50% increase). Percentage points refer to the absolute difference between two percentages (e.g., an interest rate increasing from 4% to 6% is a 2 percentage point increase, not a 2% increase).
A “good” percentage change depends entirely on the context. In finance, a 10% annual return on an investment is generally considered good, while a 10% increase in the price of groceries would be considered bad.
A 100% increase means that the new value is double the original value. For example, if a price goes from $50 to $100, that is a 100% increase.
No. This is a common mistake. A 50% increase from 100 is 150. A 50% decrease from 150 is 75. The final value is 75, not 100.
The formula works the same. You will get a negative result, which indicates a percentage decrease. For example, a change from 200 to 150 results in a -25% change.
Yes. To track a series of changes, you can perform the calculation sequentially. For example, to find the change from January to February, use the January and February values. Then, to find the change from February to March, use the February and March values.
