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Excel guide · 2 min read

How to calculate percent change in Excel

Subtract the old value from the new value and divide by the old value: =(C2-B2)/B2. Format the result as Percent. A positive result is an increase, a negative one is a decrease.

Sample data

Every formula on this page was calculated live against this sheet.

ABC
1Product2025 sales2026 sales
2Notebooks12001500
3Pens800680
4Markers0150
5Folders450450
6Net profit-200100

The percent change formula

Percent change is the difference divided by where you started. Notebooks went from 1,200 to 1,500, a rise of 300. Divide 300 by the starting 1,200 and you get 0.25.

Put the formula in D2, format column D as Percent (Ctrl+Shift+%), and fill down. The brackets matter: without them Excel divides first and subtracts second.

fx=(C2-B2)/B2

Result: 0.25

Returns 0.25, which shows as 25% once the cell is formatted as Percent.

A shorter version: new/old - 1

=C2/B2-1 gives exactly the same answer, because new divided by old tells you the ratio and subtracting 1 strips out the starting amount. Pick whichever you find easier to read. A drop gives a negative number.

fx=C3/B3-1

Result: -0.15

Pens fell from 800 to 680, so this returns -0.15, or -15%.

When the old value is zero

Growth from zero has no percentage. Markers went from 0 to 150, and dividing by 0 gives #DIV/0!. Decide what you want to show instead and wrap the formula in IFERROR, or test for zero with IF.

fx=IFERROR((C4-B4)/B4,"New")

Result: New

Shows "New" instead of #DIV/0! because the starting value is 0.

When the old value is negative

With a negative start, the plain formula flips the sign. Profit moving from -200 to 100 is clearly an improvement, but (100-(-200))/-200 gives -150%. Dividing by the absolute value of the old number keeps the direction right.

Treat this result with care in reports. Many finance teams show "n/m" (not meaningful) for changes from a loss to a profit.

fx=(C6-B6)/ABS(B6)

Result: 1.5

Returns 1.5, a 150% improvement, with the correct positive sign.

Percent change vs percentage points

If the values are already percentages, be clear about which change you mean. A conversion rate moving from 4% to 5% is a change of 1 percentage point, but a 25% percent change. Subtract for points (=C2-B2), use the formula above for percent change.

Common mistakes

Dividing by the new value

Always divide by the starting (old) value. =(C2-B2)/C2 understates growth and overstates drops.

Missing brackets

=C2-B2/B2 calculates B2/B2 first and returns 1499. Use =(C2-B2)/B2.

Seeing 0.25 instead of 25%

The math is right, the format is not. Select the cells and press Ctrl+Shift+% to apply Percent Style.

FAQ

What is the formula for percentage increase in Excel?

=(new-old)/old, for example =(C2-B2)/B2, formatted as Percent. The same formula gives a negative result for a decrease.

How do I calculate percentage decrease in Excel?

Use the same formula. A drop from 800 to 680 returns -15%. If you want the decrease as a positive number, use =(B2-C2)/B2.

Why do I get #DIV/0! for percent change?

The old value is 0 or blank. A change from nothing has no percentage, so wrap the formula in IFERROR and show something like "New" or a blank.

How do I show an up or down arrow with percent change?

Use a custom number format such as ▲0%;▼0%;0% (Home > Number > More Number Formats > Custom). The first part applies to positives, the second to negatives.

Functions used

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Updated 2026-10-31