How to calculate percentage change between two numbers in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=(C2-B2)/B2Subtract the old value from the new one and divide by the old: =(C2-B2)/B2, formatted as a percentage.
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
D2, filled down toD5 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in D2, filled down to D5. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
The change is the difference (new minus old), and dividing by the old value expresses it as a share of where you started. The brackets matter: without them Excel divides first and subtracts after. A negative result is a decrease.
=(C2-B2)/B2Result0.15
C2$209,300The value in C2.
B2$182,000The value in B2.
C2-B227300The - operator subtracts.
C2-B2)/B20.15The / operator divides.
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =(C2-B2)/B2. We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =C2/B2-1 | 15.0%, -10.0%, 0.0%… | The same result in fewer characters: the ratio of new to old, minus 1. |
Common mistakes
=C2-B2/B2without brackets calculates C2-1.- If the old value is 0, the change is undefined and you get #DIV/0!. Decide what to show:
=IF(B2=0,"New",(C2-B2)/B2). - Percentage points are not percentages: going from 10% to 12% is 2 points, but a 20% increase.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Calculate percentage change between two numbers
D2, calculate the percentage change from 2025 to 2026 and fill down to D5.Questions
How do I calculate the percentage increase?
The same formula; a positive result is an increase and a negative one a decrease.
Why does my result show 0.15 instead of 15%?
Apply the Percent number format (Ctrl+Shift+%).
Checked by running on 2026-10-29: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.