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How-to guide

How to Calculate Percentage Increase Decrease: Formula, Steps & Examples

Learn how to calculate Percentage Increase Decrease — the formula explained step by step, with worked examples and a free calculator to check your answer.

By Vikram Iyer, M.Sc Mathematics · Updated Jun 2026 · 2 min read

Calculating your new value is straightforward once you know the Percentage Increase Decrease formula and what each input means. This guide explains the method in plain language, walks through a manual calculation, and gives worked examples you can follow — then you can do it instantly with the Percentage Increase Decrease Calculator.

What is Percentage Increase Decrease?

The Percentage Increase Decrease calculation tells you your new value from a few simple inputs. The figure you are solving for here is the new value.

The Percentage Increase Decrease formula

The core formula is:

New value = Starting value + Change × Starting value × Percentage ÷ 100

Here is what each input means:

  • Starting value — a number. Example: 200.
  • Percentage — a percentage, such as an annual rate. Example: 15%.
  • Change — one of: Increase by, Decrease by. Example: Increase by.

How to calculate it step by step

  • Write down the starting value (for example, 200).
  • Write down the percentage (for example, 15%).
  • Choose the change (for example, Increase by).
  • Apply the formula above to get your new value.
  • Double-check the result with the Percentage Increase Decrease Calculator.

Worked examples

Example 1

Input / OutputValue
Starting value200
Percentage15%
ChangeIncrease by
New value230.00
Amount of change30.00

With starting value of 200, percentage of 15% and change of Increase by, the new value works out to 230.00.

Example 2

With starting value of 400, percentage of 15% and change of Increase by, the new value works out to 460.00.

ResultValue
New value460.00
Amount of change60.00

Example 3

With starting value of 100, percentage of 15% and change of Increase by, the new value works out to 115.00.

ResultValue
New value115.00
Amount of change15.00

Tips for an accurate result

  • Keep your units consistent — mixing, say, months with years or grams with kilograms is the most common source of error.
  • Round only at the very end. Rounding inputs early can shift the final answer noticeably.
  • Re-run the numbers whenever an input changes, rather than estimating from an old result.

Prefer not to do the maths by hand? — the Percentage Increase Decrease Calculator does it instantly, for free, with the formula and a worked example built in.

Continue exploring math calculators with these tools: Margin of Error Calculator, Sample Size Calculator, Confidence Interval Calculator, Coefficient of Variation Calculator, Regular Heptagon Area Calculator.

Calculators in this guide

Frequently asked questions

The formula is: New value = Starting value + Change × Starting value × Percentage ÷ 100. With starting value of 200, percentage of 15% and change of Increase by, the new value works out to 230.00.

Gather each input, apply the formula step by step keeping your units consistent, and round only at the end. You can verify your answer instantly with the Percentage Increase Decrease Calculator.

It uses the standard formula with exact arithmetic, so the result is correct for the inputs you enter. Bear in mind that real-world outcomes can still differ when underlying assumptions change.

Vikram Iyer · M.Sc Mathematics

Vikram Iyer is a mathematics educator with over fifteen years of teaching experience, specialising in making quantitative concepts clear and practical for everyday use.