Percentage Difference Calculator

The starting value for a change, the accepted (true) value for percent error.
The ending value for a change, the measured (experimental) value for percent error.
Answer for the selected comparison
40 %
Percentage Change, Difference and Error Calculator
What the answer is
Percentage difference
In words
50 and 75 differ by 40% of their average. This is not the same as a percentage change, which would divide by 50 instead of 62.5.
Percentage change
50 %
Percentage increase
50 %
Percentage decrease
-50 %
Absolute change (final - initial)
25
Percentage difference
40 %
Percent improvement
50 %
Percent error
50 %
Relative error (a fraction, not a percentage)
0.5
Final / initial
1.5
Direction
increase
Formula used
percent difference = |a - b| / ((|a| + |b|) / 2) x 100
Worked out from Wikipedia, "Relative change and difference" — relative change uses |x_reference| in the denominator; percentage difference uses the mean of the magnitudes and 1 other source.

How this is worked out

3 steps
  1. Difference = |75 - 50| = 25
  2. Mean of the magnitudes = (50 + 75) / 2 = 62.5
  3. 25 / 62.5 x 100 = 40%

Results are general information, not financial, tax, legal, medical or engineering advice.