# Percentage increase calculation
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/percentage-increase-calculation/464742
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 22, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/percentage-increase-calculation/464742 "2008-09-22T20:38:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/percentage-increase-calculation/464742/1 "2008-09-22T20:38:53Z")
Bloody tacher forgot to mention we needed to know something for a test, so the sooner I get an answer the better. [Leelu]Plaese halp![/Leelu]
Basically, how do I figure percent increases?
Let’s say I do my calculations and find that productivity increased from 127 units/input to 167 units/input. Or whatever.
Is the calc for percent change as follows?
167/127 = 1.31 ~ 131% (subtract 100% for base value = 31% increase
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/percentage-increase-calculation/464742/2 "2008-09-22T20:47:39Z")
The equation is:
127 + 127x = 167
127x = 40
x = 40/127
x = 0.315
So the percentage increase is 31.5%
(edit: Or your way is quicker. You’re saying 167 is 131% of 127, which essentially answers the same question, except you have to subtract the 1 at the end.)
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### Author:  [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/percentage-increase-calculation/464742/3 "2008-09-22T20:48:38Z")
Yes. Keep in mind that if the numbers were reversed, it wouldn’t be a 31% decrease, though, it’d be a 127/167 = .76, 1-.76 = 24% decrease.
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### Author:  [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/percentage-increase-calculation/464742/4 "2008-09-22T20:55:22Z")
Change divided by origninal, or (new-old)/old. As was said above, the denominator must always be the old value, even when decreasing.
ETA: My favorite math rule, because it comes up everywhere- “Of means multiply”. So if you say that something went up 35%, the complete statement would be “Jim added on 35% \*\*of \*\*his previous weight.” or the “stock lost 25% \*\*of \*\*its value.” Thus, it’s Jimnew = Jimold +.35xJimold.
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### Author:  [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/percentage-increase-calculation/464742/5 "2008-09-22T21:22:18Z")
Thanks. Where I get messed up is because I didn’t know we needed it, and I forgot to take off the 100% base on my quickly-figured-out version. Fortunately, the test was administered so badly that the entire thing will be regiven. Now, if I can only figure what some of the more exotic terms meant.