Percentage Decrease Calculator
Use our percentage decrease calculator to calculate percentage decrease between two numbers instantly. Includes the percentage decrease formula, step-by-step instructions, examples, and Excel tips for calculating percentage decrease from two numbers.
What is Percentage Decrease?
Percentage decrease measures how much a value goes down compared to its original (initial) value. It’s commonly used for price drops, discounts, performance declines, population decreases, and overall percentage reduction comparisons.
If you’re calculating percentage decrease between two numbers, you’re comparing the difference (how much it fell) to the initial value. That’s what a percentage decrease calculator does.
This page explains what percentage decrease means, the formula to calculate percentage decrease, and how to find the percent of decrease quickly and accurately.
Percentage Decrease Formula
To calculate percentage decrease, subtract the final value from the initial value, divide by the initial value, then multiply by 100.
Use this when the final value is less than the initial value.
So the value decreased by 25%.
Same idea: the reduction is 20, which is 25% of 80.
How to Calculate Percentage Decrease
- 1
Enter the initial value (the original number).
- 2
Enter the final value (the new number after decreasing).
- 3
Subtract final from initial to find the decrease amount (initial − final).
- 4
Divide the decrease amount by the initial value and multiply by 100 to get the percentage decrease.
Frequently Asked Questions
% decrease = ((initial - final) ÷ initial) × 100.
Find the difference (initial − final), divide by the initial value, then multiply by 100.
Use % decrease = ((initial - final) ÷ initial) × 100, where initial is the original number.
Subtract final from initial to get the decrease, then divide by initial and multiply by 100.
Compute (initial − final) ÷ initial × 100. This is calculating percentage decrease between two numbers.
If A1 is initial and B1 is final, use: =(A1-B1)/A1 and format the cell as Percentage.
That’s not a decrease—it’s an increase. In that case use a percentage increase or percentage change calculator instead.
Yes—percentage decrease is the same concept as percentage reduction when comparing a new lower value to an original value.
Use this percentage decrease calculator when you have an initial value and a final value that is smaller than the initial value.