To calculate percentage increase in Excel, subtract the original value from the new value, then divide by the original value: =(New Value-Original Value)/Original Value. If the original value is in B2 and the new value is in C2, enter =(C2-B2)/B2 and format the result as a percentage.
The percentage-increase formula and what it measures
Percentage increase measures the change relative to the starting value. The original value is the denominator because it is the baseline you are comparing against.
Percentage increase = (New value − Original value) ÷ Original valueFor example, a value that rises from 80 to 100 increases by 20. Dividing that change by the original 80 gives 0.25, or 25%. The raw difference is 20; the percentage increase is 25%.
In Excel, the standard formula is =(C2-B2)/B2. The equivalent =C2/B2-1 produces the same result, but the subtraction-first version makes the calculation easier to read. Microsoft documents this method for Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel for Mac, Excel 2024, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, and Excel 2016: Microsoft’s percentage formulas for Excel.
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Enter and format the formula
Set up a simple worksheet with the starting value in column B, the new value in column C, and the percentage change in column D:
| Item | Original | New | Percentage increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product A | 80 | 100 | =(C2-B2)/B2 |
- Enter the original value in
B2and the new value inC2. - Select
D2and enter=(C2-B2)/B2. - Press Enter. The underlying result is
0.25. - Select the result cell, then choose Home > Percent Style (%).
- Use Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal to choose how many decimal places to show. Ribbon appearance can vary by platform and Excel version.
Percentage formatting displays a decimal as a percentage: for example, 0.1 displays as 10%. The stored result remains a decimal. See Microsoft’s guides to percentage formatting and Excel number formats.
Examples for common comparisons
Whole numbers and decimals
From 50 to 75, =(75-50)/50 returns 0.5, or 50%. From 12.5 to 15, =(15-12.5)/12.5 returns 0.2, or 20%. The same formula works with numeric quantities, decimal values, and currency amounts; apply currency formatting to the inputs separately if you want them displayed as money.
Month-over-month and year-over-year change
For month-over-month growth, compare each month with the immediately preceding month. If January is in B2 and February in C2, use =(C2-B2)/B2. For March in D2 compared with February, use =(D2-C2)/C2.
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Decrease or no change
The same formula calculates decreases. From 2,500 to 2,425, =(2425-2500)/2500 returns -3%. A negative result means the new value is below the original; it is not a positive increase. If the values are equal, the result is 0%.
Label the direction in a report
If a report needs text labels rather than a numeric percentage, use a separate output cell with a formula such as:
=IF(B2=0,"No valid baseline",IF(C2>B2,"Increase: "&TEXT((C2-B2)/B2,"0.00%"),IF(C2<B2,"Decrease: "&TEXT((C2-B2)/B2,"0.00%"),"No change")))This returns text, not a numeric percentage, so do not use that result where you need to sum, chart, or calculate with the percentage.
Calculate a new value from an increase or decrease rate
If you know the original amount and the rate, calculate the resulting amount with multiplication:
| Purpose | Formula |
|---|---|
Increase original amount in B2 by rate in C2 |
=B2*(1+C2) |
Decrease original amount in B2 by rate in C2 |
=B2*(1-C2) |
Recover original amount in B2’s final-value scenario, with final value in C2 and increase rate in D2 |
=C2/(1+D2) |
For example, if C2 contains 25%, =B2*(1+C2) returns an amount 25% higher than B2. Enter rates as percentages or their decimal equivalents (25% or 0.25), not as 25.
Copy the calculation down a list
For row-by-row comparisons, enter =(C2-B2)/B2 in the first result row and use the fill handle to copy it down. Relative references adjust by row, so the next formulas become =(C3-B3)/B3, then =(C4-B4)/B4. If one rate or assumption must stay fixed, use an absolute reference. For example, with a rate in E1, =B2*(1+$E$1) keeps that reference fixed as the formula is filled down. Dollar signs lock the row and column; see Microsoft’s overview of relative and absolute references.
For an Excel Table with columns named Original and New, a calculated column can use =([@New]-[@Original])/[@Original]. Excel Tables can propagate a calculated-column formula to the other rows.
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A zero original value
The usual calculation divides by the original value, so a zero baseline makes the percentage undefined. A change from 0 to 10 has an absolute increase of 10, but there is no ordinary percentage increase because there is no nonzero starting denominator. A move from 0 to 0 likewise has no meaningful percentage denominator. Depending on the reporting context, label such cases “N/A,” “new,” or “from zero” rather than assigning a percentage.
To return a clear label when the original is zero, use:
=IF(B2=0,"N/A",(C2-B2)/B2)Blank inputs and other errors
If blanks mean missing data, keep the result blank until both inputs are present and identify zero baselines separately:
=IF(OR(B2="",C2=""),"",IF(B2=0,"N/A",(C2-B2)/B2))=IFERROR((C2-B2)/B2,"") is shorter, but it can hide errors unrelated to a zero denominator. Use explicit checks when you need to diagnose a worksheet; Microsoft also cautions that error handling can conceal whether the underlying formula is working: IF function error guidance.
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Negative original values
The formula still performs arithmetic with a negative starting value, but the percentage can be unintuitive. From -100 to -80, =(-80-(-100))/-100 returns -20%, even though the number moved upward. For losses, debt, temperatures, or other signed values, consider reporting the absolute change and the direction, or use a domain-specific convention instead of calling the result ordinary growth.
Percentage change, percentage points, and percentage difference
Percentage change uses a stated baseline
Percentage increase and decrease are directional comparisons against an original value: =(New-Original)/Original. The order matters because the starting value is the denominator.
Percentage points compare rates directly
If a conversion rate rises from 20% to 30%, the change is 10 percentage points: 30%-20%. The relative increase is 50%: =(30%-20%)/20%. Use percentage points for the direct difference between rates and percentage increase when describing the change relative to the original rate.
Percentage difference is symmetric
When neither value is the baseline, a commonly used symmetric percentage-difference formula divides the absolute difference by the average of the two values: =ABS(C2-B2)/AVERAGE(B2,C2). It is not interchangeable with percentage increase, which requires a defined original value.
Compound growth and annualized growth
Several successive increases
Repeated increases compound; they are not generally equivalent to adding the rates. Starting at 1,000 and increasing 10% in each of three periods gives =1000*(1+10%)^3, or 1,331. That is three successive 10% increases, not a single 30% increase.
Compound annual growth rate (CAGR)
To calculate the constant annual rate connecting a starting value in B2 to an ending value in C2 over the number of years in D2, use:
=(C2/B2)^(1/D2)-1CAGR is an annualized rate across the period, not the total percentage change. The formula assumes a positive starting value and a positive ending value for the usual growth interpretation, and a positive number of periods.
Common mistakes and fixes
- Using the new value as the denominator:
=(C2-B2)/C2compares the change with the ending value, not the original baseline. - Multiplying by 100 and then applying percentage format: Use
=(C2-B2)/B2and format as a percentage. If you use=(C2-B2)/B2*100, leave the result as an ordinary number; formatting that value as a percentage can display 25 as 2,500%. - Entering a rate as 25 instead of 25%: Excel treats 25 as 25.0, equivalent to 2,500%, not 25%. Enter 25% or 0.25.
- Rounding the formula too early: Use number formatting to change displayed decimals while preserving the underlying value. If later calculations must use a rounded value, use
=ROUND((C2-B2)/B2,2); that changes the value used downstream. - Using numbers stored as text: Imported values may not calculate as expected. Check for leading apostrophes or currency symbols stored as literal text;
VALUE(B2)can convert numeric text when appropriate. Microsoft’s guidance on avoiding broken formulas covers text-formatted cells and formula issues. - Seeing the formula instead of a result: If the cell is formatted as Text, change it to General, then re-enter the formula or press F2 and Enter.
- Omitting parentheses:
=(C2-B2)/B2makes the intended subtraction-before-division grouping explicit. Excel follows operator precedence rules; see how Excel evaluates operations. - Misreading a negative result: With a positive baseline, a negative result normally indicates a decrease. With a negative baseline, interpret the result in context rather than treating it automatically as growth.
Excel uses - for subtraction and / for division in formulas; Microsoft lists the available calculation operators.
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