Formula to Show Percentage Increase in a Worksheet

Start with the change divided by the original amount

The percentage increase is (new−original)/original×100. For an original value of 240 and a new value of 300, the change is 60, the ratio is 60/240 = 0.25, and the percentage is 25%. The denominator must be the original amount because the question asks how large the increase is relative to the starting value. Dividing by the new amount would produce 20%, which describes the increase as a fraction of the final value instead.

Choose one spreadsheet display convention

If A2 contains 240 and B2 contains 300, enter =(B2-A2)/A2 in C2 and format C2 as Percentage. The stored numerical result is 0.25 and the displayed result is 25%. Alternatively, use =(B2-A2)/A2*100 in an ordinary number-formatted cell to display 25, with the percent unit supplied separately. Do not multiply by one hundred and also apply percentage formatting, because that would display 2500% for this example.

Copy formulas with the intended baseline

For independent old/new pairs in columns A and B, relative references such as A2 and B2 normally advance when copied to the next row. If every row instead compares a value in column B with one fixed baseline in A2, use an absolute reference such as =(B3-$A$2)/$A$2. The dollar signs keep the chosen baseline fixed when the formula is copied. That produces a fixed-base comparison, not a change from the preceding row, so label the resulting column accordingly.

Show decreases without relabelling them as increases

For 300 changing to 270, the signed formula returns −0.1, displayed as −10%. The local increase calculator identifies this as a decrease because the new value is smaller. A spreadsheet header such as Percentage change can accommodate either direction without describing every row as growth. Replacing every result with its absolute value would conceal decreases and make a mixed table misleading, even though the magnitudes were calculated from the correct pairs.

Handle invalid baselines without hiding them

A spreadsheet division by zero is a signal that the ordinary percentage-change formula is undefined for that row. Use an explicit label or a separate status column for a zero baseline instead of replacing it with 0%, which would incorrectly mean no change. Blank or text cells also need a defined data-cleaning policy. Check the source values before calculating and avoid silently treating missing data as zero. Rounding the displayed percentage can improve readability while preserving the unrounded stored result for later computations. For a row whose original and new values are equal and positive, the numerator is zero and the percentage change is exactly zero. This differs from an undefined zero-baseline row.

Choose a meaningful baseline

The ordinary increase and decrease interpretation assumes a positive original amount. A zero baseline makes division by the original value undefined; a rise from zero to a positive value therefore has no finite ordinary percentage increase. With a negative baseline, the algebraic quotient can have a sign that conflicts with everyday words such as growth or decline. For those cases, report the original value, new value and signed difference, and use a domain-specific convention only when it is explicitly defined. Do not silently substitute the absolute value of the starting amount and present that as the same formula. The local change, increase and decrease forms require an original value greater than zero and reject zero or negative starting values with an explanation.

Distinguish percent from percentage points

When the quantities already are percentages, subtracting them gives a change in percentage points. Moving from 20% to 25% is an increase of five percentage points. Relative to the original 20%, the proportional increase is 5/20×100 = 25%. These statements are both correct but answer different questions. Write the unit after the result rather than calling both changes five percent. If the original percentages describe different populations or measurement methods, even the arithmetic comparison may need context before it is interpreted as a real improvement or decline.

Related guides

Find Each Percent Change in a Table or Sequence

Calculate each adjacent percentage change, keep the original value for each interval, and distinguish interval rates from an overall change.

Percent Change in Math: Signed Formula and Examples

Apply the signed percent-change formula, interpret increases and decreases, and distinguish change from percent difference and compounded rates.

Basic Excel Formulas with Worked Cell Examples

Create arithmetic formulas in Excel, use cell references and parentheses, and distinguish a formula result from text or number formatting.