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Percent Difference Calculator

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Results

Percent difference is 33.33 %.

Percent difference
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How to use this calculator

  1. Enter First value
    Enter the first comparison value. The expression uses it as `value_1`. 1
  2. Enter Second value
    Enter the other comparison value. The expression uses it as `value_2`. 1
  3. Read Percent difference

Percent difference (%) vs First value ()

200199.40.011000000

Percent difference (%) First value ()

What this calculates

Percent difference expresses the gap between two numbers in percentage terms. The source describes this as a usual purpose. Its description is for positive values greater than zero. 1

The source says the order of the numbers does not matter. Reversing the entries therefore preserves the comparison. Neither input serves as a designated starting value. 1

What the result represents

A percentage expresses a ratio on a 100-based scale. Here, the absolute gap is measured against the pair's average. This gives the result a shared reference point. 1

Formula and calculation stages

The page computes: percent_difference = abs(value_1 - value_2) / ((value_1 + value_2) / 2) * 100. It returns the field named percent_difference. The inputs are named value_1 and value_2. 1

Percentage difference equals the absolute value of the change in value, divided by the average of the 2 numbers, all multiplied by 100. 1

In this page expression, abs means absolute value. The denominator is the arithmetic average, found by adding the inputs and dividing by 2. Multiplying the gap-to-average ratio by 100 expresses a percentage. 1

Worked examples

Source example: 5 and 7: Percent difference 33.33 %

See inputs and calculation

Starting values

First value
5
Second value
7
    1. Percent difference: 33.33 %
      Show arithmetic
      abs(5 - 7) / ((5 + 7) / 2) * 100
    Original example and source context

    5, 7 → 33.33 % (published numeric pin, excerpt worked-example-5-and-7). The source prints this as its worked example. Its excerpt states no unit for either value. 1

    Inputs: 5 and 7. Gap: |5 − 7| = 2. Average: (5 + 7) / 2 = 6. Ratio: 2 / 6 = 0.3333. Percent conversion: 0.3333 × 100. 1

    7, 5 → percentage difference calculated with the source's formula (formula-derived page check, excerpt formula-definition). This check comes from the page formula. It is not a value published in the source's worked example. 1

    Inputs and page boundaries

    The page's choice is to accept each input from 0.01 to 1000000. Those endpoints belong to the page, not the formula. The source says the calculator finds the percent difference between two positive numbers greater than 0. 1

    Percent difference and percent change

    The source says percent change applies when the numbers have starting and ending roles. It also describes them as old and new values. That distinction makes percent change appropriate for an ordered pair. 2

    Examples and multiple values

    No cited example compares store prices. No cited example compares test scores or measurements. The sources give no method for combining multiple values into one comparison. 1

    Keep this point handy

    For quick notes, these sources give no separate guidance. They do say you can switch the two values when calculating percent difference because the calculation uses the absolute difference and the average. 1

    Key facts

    • Formula-derived page check, excerpt formula-definition: 1, 1 → 0 %. 1 1
    • Formula-derived page check, excerpt formula-definition: 1, 2 → 66.66666666666666 %. 1 1
    • Formula-derived page check, excerpt formula-definition: 100, 101.00997461746545 → 1.0048999999999904 %. 1 1

    How this is calculated

    Enter two positive numbers. This page accepts each value from 0.01 through 1,000,000; these are this page's input limits. It divides the absolute difference by the average of the two values and expresses the result as a percentage. The order of the values does not matter.

    Percent difference

    absolute_difference ÷ (average_value) × 100
    • absolute_difference = Absolute difference
    • average_value = Average
    Understand each part

    These names are shorthand for the exact calculations below, not different formulas.

    1. Absolute difference (absolute_difference)

      The nonnegative difference between the two values.

      See the definition of absolute_differenceabs(value_1 - value_2)
    2. Average (average_value)

      The average of the two values.

      See the definition of average_value(value_1 + value_2) / 2
    Follow the calculation with your values
    1. Percent difference: 33.33 %
      Show arithmetic
      abs(5 - 7) / ((5 + 7) / 2) * 100
    Full formulas, symbols and sources

    percent_difference = abs(value_1 - value_2) / ((value_1 + value_2) / 2) * 100

    value_1
    First value ()
    value_2
    Second value ()
    percent_difference
    Percent difference (%)
    abs
    absolute value

      Frequently asked questions

      Can you have a negative difference?
      No. Absolute value removes the subtraction's sign, so percent difference cannot be negative. 1
      Is percent difference the same as percent error?
      The cited material does not define percent error. It therefore cannot establish whether the measures are the same. 1
      How do I calculate percent change?
      The cited sources give no percent-change equation. They do not show arithmetic for converting a starting and ending pair into that result. 2
      How do I increase a value by a percentage?
      The excerpts do not give an increase-by-percentage formula. They do not show how to apply a chosen percentage to a starting value. 2
      How do I decrease a value by a percentage?
      The cited material includes no decrease-by-percentage rule. It gives no operation for reducing an input by a chosen percentage. 2
      How do I find what percent one value is of another?
      The cited material gives no method for finding what percent one value is of another. It does not identify a part-and-whole equation for that question. 1
      How do I calculate a percentage of a value?
      The sources do not state how to calculate a percentage of a value. They give no operation for taking a percentage part from a reference amount. 1
      Are percentage points the same as relative percentages?
      The excerpts do not define percentage points. They do not compare a percentage-point change with a relative percentage. 1
      Do the sources explain compounding or averaging percentages?
      The cited material does not explain compounding percentages. It also gives no method for averaging percentage rates. 1

      Limitations & common mistakes

      • Results use your numbers and are only as exact as they are; they cannot replace measurements or required professional judgment.
      • The cited material offers no unit conversions or unit-specific reading of the result. 1

      By Editorial Team, Assembled from the cited primary sources; not yet expert-reviewed

      Last updated

      Sources current as of

      How we review

      Formula, sources, and review

      This calculation follows the formula published on this page and rests on 2 cited sources, listed under Sources below. Last checked .

      How we review

      Sources & methodology

      ConstantValueUnitSource
      percent_difference_c121
      percent_difference_c21001

      Sources

      • 1 Percentage Difference Calculator — last verified
      • 2 Percentage Change Calculator — last verified