Watch the animation for calculating percentage increase and decrease, and then consider the question below.
Why use this technique? Is it appropriate?
- We calculate percentage increase and decrease to show how much ‘increase’ or ‘decrease/loss’ there has been in a specific category over time.
- By working out the percentage change it is easier to compare the change in a category over time e.g. population change.
- Working out a percentage is much more understandable than looking at raw figures. It also means that data is more easily comparable.