Percentage Decrease Calculator
A price that falls from $80 to $60 has dropped by 25%, because the $20 fall is a quarter of the original $80. This percentage decrease calculator measures how much a value has fallen relative to where it started. Enter the original and new values and get the decrease, the raw difference, and a heads-up if the value actually went up instead.
Quick answer
Percentage decrease measures a fall relative to the original value.
Percentage decrease
25% decrease
Difference
20
What this tells you
- •Percentage decrease measures a fall relative to the original value.
- •The formula is ((original - new) / original) x 100.
- •The original value is always the base, which is why an $80 to $60 fall is 25% and not 33%.
- •If the result comes out negative, the value increased rather than decreased.
How to Use
- 1Enter the original value, the one from before the change.
- 2Enter the new, lower value.
- 3Read the percentage decrease and the raw difference.
- 4If your new value is higher, the tool reports the change as an increase instead.
How It Works
Formula
percentage decrease = ((original - new) / original) x 100Subtract the new value from the original, divide by the original, and multiply by 100. From 80 to 60 the fall is 20, and 20 / 80 = 0.25, so the decrease is 25%. Reversing the same change, 60 back up to 80, is a 33.3% increase, because the base switches to the smaller number.
Calculation note: values are processed in the order shown above, using the current input units.
Worked Examples
Sale price from $80 to $60
The $20 cut is a quarter of the original $80 price.
Weight from 200 lb to 170 lb
The 30 lb loss divided by the 200 lb starting weight gives 0.15.
Website traffic from 8,400 to 6,300 visits
The 2,100-visit drop is exactly a quarter of 8,400.
Percentage Decrease Quick Reference
Original and new values with the resulting decrease.
| Original | New | Decrease |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 90 | 10% |
| 100 | 75 | 25% |
| 100 | 50 | 50% |
| 80 | 60 | 25% |
| 250 | 200 | 20% |
| 60 | 45 | 25% |
Common mistakes
- Dividing by the new value. The original is the base. From 80 to 60 the decrease is 20/80 = 25%, not 20/60 = 33%.
- Assuming the same percent up undoes a percent down. A 25% decrease from 80 lands at 60, but a 25% increase from 60 only reaches 75.
- Confusing percentage decrease with percentage points. A rate falling from 12% to 9% dropped 3 points, which is a 25% relative decrease.