Growth Rate & CAGR Calculator

Calculates the percent change between two values, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over several years, and a change table for a series of values. Use it to summarise sales or visitor figures for a report.

How to use

1. On "Percent change", enter the "Previous value" and the "Current value" to get the percent change, difference and multiple.
2. On "CAGR", enter the "Starting value", the "Ending or target value" and the period, in years or as two dates. Change "Solve for" to get a future value or the time needed.
3. On "Series table", paste a spreadsheet column into "Values" and choose the "Spacing of the values" to get a table and chart of changes.
4. Copy the table, and find matching formulas under "Excel and Google Sheets formulas".

How it works

• Percent change = (current − previous) ÷ previous × 100. Year-over-year (YoY), month-over-month (MoM) and period-on-period changes all use this formula.
• CAGR = (ending value ÷ starting value)^(1 ÷ years) − 1. With two dates, the period is days ÷ 365.
• When the previous value is zero or negative, or the value turns negative, no percentage is shown, only the difference and a label such as "Turned positive".

Questions and answers

How do I calculate percent change?

Divide the difference by the previous value and multiply by 100. From 80 to 100 is a 25% increase; from 100 to 80 is a 20% decrease.

What is CAGR?

The yearly rate that turns the starting value into the ending value if growth is the same every year. If 100 becomes 200 in 5 years, the CAGR is 2^(1÷5) − 1 ≈ 14.87%.

How is CAGR different from the simple average growth rate?

The simple average divides the total change by the years and ignores compounding. In the example above it is 100% ÷ 5 = 20%, higher than the CAGR.

What is the percent change from a loss to a profit?

With a negative base, a percentage reverses its meaning, so the change is usually described in words instead. This calculator shows only the difference.