Percent Change in Excel & Google Sheets
Old value in A2, new value in B2: =(B2-A2)/A2, formatted as a percentage.
The basic formula
=(B2-A2)/A2Then format the cell as a percentage (Home → Percent Style, or Ctrl+Shift+%). Excel multiplies by 100 for display, so don’t add *100 to the formula as well. An equivalent, slightly shorter form is =B2/A2-1.
| A (old) | B (new) | C (formula) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1200 | 1500 | =(B2-A2)/A2 | 25% |
| 3 | 1500 | 1350 | =(B3-A3)/A3 | −10% |
Copy-ready formulas
| Task | Formula |
|---|---|
| Percent change | =(B2-A2)/A2 |
| Works with negative old values | =(B2-A2)/ABS(A2) |
| Handles an old value of 0 | =IF(A2=0,"n/a",(B2-A2)/ABS(A2)) |
| Increase A2 by the % in C2 | =A2*(1+C2) |
| Decrease A2 by the % in C2 | =A2*(1-C2) |
| Original value before a C2% increase | =B2/(1+C2) |
| Percent difference | =ABS(A2-B2)/((A2+B2)/2) |
| CAGR from A2 to B2 over C2 years | =(B2/A2)^(1/C2)-1 |
| Change in percentage points (A2, B2 are rates) | =B2-A2 |
In the formulas that use C2, enter the percentage as a percent (e.g. 12%) or as a decimal (0.12).
Percent change down a column
For a series of values in column B (monthly sales, for example), month-over-month change in C3 is =(B3-B2)/B2; fill it down. To compare every row against a fixed starting value in B2, lock the reference: =(B3-$B$2)/$B$2.
Google Sheets
Every formula above works unchanged in Google Sheets. Format the result with Format → Number → Percent, or wrap it:=TO_PERCENT((B2-A2)/A2).
Check your answers
Use the percent change calculator to check a row by hand; it shows every step of the working.
Frequently asked questions
What is the percent change formula in Excel?
With the old value in A2 and the new value in B2, use =(B2-A2)/A2 and format the cell as a percentage.
How do I show the result as a percentage in Excel?
Select the cells and press Ctrl+Shift+% (Cmd+Shift+% on Mac), or choose Percent Style on the Home tab. Don't multiply by 100 as well, or the result will be 100 times too big.
How do I stop the #DIV/0! error?
Wrap the formula in IF: =IF(A2=0,"n/a",(B2-A2)/ABS(A2)). Percent change from zero is undefined, so showing a label is more honest than showing 0%.
Is the formula the same in Google Sheets?
Yes. =(B2-A2)/A2 works in Google Sheets. Format it with Format → Number → Percent, or wrap it in TO_PERCENT().