Find how much something grew, expressed as a percentage
The Formula
Percent Increase = ((New Value − Original Value) / Original Value) × 100
Step 1: Subtract the original value from the new value (find the difference). Step 2: Divide the difference by the original value. Step 3: Multiply by 100 to get the percent.
Examples
Example 1: A price went from $80 to $100
Difference: $100 − $80 = $20
Divide by original: $20 ÷ $80 = 0.25
Multiply by 100: 0.25 × 100 = 25% increase
Example 2: Your followers went from 200 to 350
Difference: 350 − 200 = 150
Divide by original: 150 ÷ 200 = 0.75
Multiply by 100: 0.75 × 100 = 75% increase
Key Point
Always divide by the original value (the starting number), not the new value. This is the most common mistake. The original is your reference point — the "base" you're measuring growth from.
💡 Quick Check: If the new value doubled, the percent increase is 100%. If it tripled, the increase is 200%. Your answer should feel proportional to how much things changed.
🎯 Practice Problems
1. A stock price rose from $50 to $65. What is the percent increase?
A) 15%
B) 23%
C) 30%
D) 65%
2. Your rent went from $1,000 to $1,200. What is the percent increase?
A) 12%
B) 20%
C) 200%
D) 2%
3. A plant grew from 10 inches to 14 inches. What is the percent increase?
A) 14%
B) 4%
C) 40%
D) 28%
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🎯 Bonus Practice
1. Population grew from 5,000 to 5,500. What is the percent increase?
A) 5%
B) 10%
C) 50%
D) 500%
2. A value went from 40 to 100. What is the percent increase?
A) 60%
B) 100%
C) 150%
D) 250%
3. Your score improved from 72 to 90. What is the percent increase?
A) 18%
B) 20%
C) 25%
D) 80%
4. A value doubled from 30 to 60. What is the percent increase?
A) 30%
B) 50%
C) 100%
D) 200%
5. Earnings rose from $200 to $210. What is the percent increase?