How to Calculate Percentage Change
Percentage change shows how much a value has risen or fallen. Find it with (change ÷ original) × 100, so £20 rising to £25 gives 25%. A positive answer is a percentage increase, a negative one a percentage decrease.
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How to Calculate Percentage Change?
- Percentage change is found by dividing the change by the original value and multiplying by 100.
- The change is the new value minus the original value.
Percentage Change Examples
- If the final answer is positive, it is a percentage increase.
- If the final answer is negative, it is a percentage decrease.
Practising Percentage Decrease
- A percentage decrease happens when the new value is smaller than the original value.
- The percentage shows how much the value has decreased from the start.
Applying Percentage Change to Data
- Always identify the new value and original value first before calculating.
- Exam tip: always divide by the original value, not the new one.
Practice Questions
Test your understanding
The price of a book increases from £20 to £25. What is the percentage change?
Correct! 🎉 +10 pointsNot quite right
First, find the change: . Then divide by the original value: . Now multiply by 100: . So the percentage change is .
The number of apples in a basket drops from 60 to 48. What is the percentage change?
Correct! 🎉 +10 pointsNot quite right
First, find the change: . Then divide by the original: . Multiply by 100: . So it is a decrease.
A phone’s price falls from £400 to £340. What is the percentage change?
Correct! 🎉 +20 pointsNot quite right
First, find the change: . Divide by the original: . Multiply by 100: . So it's a decrease.
The number of subscribers on a channel goes from 1200 to 900. What is the percentage change?
Correct! 🎉 +20 pointsNot quite right
First, find the change: . Divide by the original: . Multiply by 100: . So it's a decrease.
The number of website visits goes from 2500 to 3000. What is the percentage increase?
Correct! 🎉 +20 pointsNot quite right
First, find the change: . Divide by the original: . Multiply by 100: . So it's a increase.
Attendance at a football match rises from 30,000 to 33,000. What is the percentage change?
Correct! 🎉 +30 pointsNot quite right
First, find the change: 33,000 − 30,,000. Divide by the original: 3,000 ÷ 30,. Multiply by 100: . So it's a increase.
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Students Also Ask
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The formula for percentage change is the change divided by the original value, then multiplied by 100. The change means the new value minus the original value. Your answer can be positive or negative, which tells you whether the value has increased or decreased.
You look at the sign of your answer. If the percentage change is positive, it is a percentage increase, so the value has gone up. If the percentage change is negative, it is a percentage decrease, so the value has gone down from its original value.
You always divide by the original value, never the new value. The percentage change formula divides the change by the original value, then multiplies by 100. The original value is where the amount started, so it is the figure you compare the change against.
Subtract the original value from the new value to find the change. Divide that change by the original value, then multiply by 100. The result is the percentage change between the two numbers. A positive result is an increase and a negative result is a decrease.
Use only the original value and the new value. A percentage change question may include details you do not need, such as how many years have passed. That information does not change the calculation, so you leave it out and work with the two values.