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% Difference Formula
The formula used to find the percentage difference between two numbers with either of the numbers used as the base number
Written by CFI Team
Updated October 1, 2019
What is the % Difference Formula?
The % Difference Formula allows us to find the percentage difference between two numbers with either of the numbers used as the base number. The % difference formula takes as input two numbers – the base number and the new number – and gives as output the percentage difference between the new number and the base number. The formula will output different results depending on which number is chosen as the base number and which number is chosen as the new number.
Example of % Difference Formula
Consider the following example: The base number is 120, and the new number is 11. The % difference formula gives us the difference between the two numbers as a fraction of the base number 120. In this case, the % difference formula gives as output -90.83%. It means that the new number is 90.83% smaller than the base number.
If we use 11 as the base number and 120 as the new number, then the result is 990.91%. It means that the new number is 990.91% bigger than the base number. It is the difference between the two numbers relative to base number 11.
Using the % Difference Formula in Microsoft Excel
Suppose an analyst wants to compare the stock prices of various companies before and after the companies release their annual statements. The analyst can use the % difference formula to answer a key question: What was the percentage change in stock prices before and after the release of the annual statements. Suppose the analyst is given the following dataset:
% Difference Formula
Step 1: Open the data in Excel. It should look like the data table below:
% Difference Formula - Step 1
Step 2: The analyst can use the following formulas to find out the % Difference.
% Difference Formula - Step 2
Step 3: The analyst should obtain the following output:
% Difference Formula - Step 3
Additional Resources
CFI is the official provider of the global Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)™ certification program, designed to help anyone become a world-class financial analyst. To keep advancing your career, the additional resources below will be useful:
Advanced Excel Formulas Must Know
Data Validation
Free Excel Crash Course
IF Statement Between Two Numbers
Free Excel Tutorial
To master the art of Excel, check out CFI’s FREE Excel Crash Course, which teaches you how to become an Excel power user. Learn the most important formulas, functions, and shortcuts to become confident in your financial analysis.
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Numbers
Calculate the difference between two numbers by inputting a formula in a new, blank cell. If A1 and B1 are both numeric values, you can use the "=A1-B1" formula. Your cells don't have to be in the same order as your formula. For example, you can also use the "=B1-A1" formula to calculate a different value. Format your calculated cell by selecting a data type and a number of decimal places from the "Home" tab of the Ribbon.
Times
Find the difference between two times and use a custom format to display your result. Excel provides two options for calculating the difference between two times. If you use a simple subtraction operation such as "=C1-A1," select the custom format "h:mm" from the Format Cells options. If you use the TEXT() function such as "=TEXT(C1-A1,"h:mm")," define the custom format within the equation. The TEXT() function converts numbers to text using a custom format.
Dates
Excel provides two options for calculating the difference between two dates. You can use a simple subtraction operation such as "=B2-A2" to calculate the amount of days between those two calendar dates. You can also calculate the amount of week days between two calendar dates with the NETWORKDAYS() function. For example, if you input "=NETWORKDAYS(B2,A2)" in a new blank cell, your result will include only the days between Monday and Friday. Books CD ke liye sir raabta kar sakte hain Microsoft Excel 365 thank you for visit my sides.
