Percentage Difference Calculator: Compare Two Values

What is Percentage Difference?

Percentage difference is a statistical measure that compares the relative difference between two values. It expresses the absolute difference between two numbers as a percentage of their average. This metric is particularly useful when comparing values that are not necessarily in a before-and-after relationship.

How to Calculate Percentage Difference

To calculate percentage difference:

• Find the absolute difference between the two values
• Calculate the average of the two values
• Divide the absolute difference by the average
• Multiply the result by 100 to convert to a percentage

Formula

The formula for percentage difference is:

\[ \text{Percentage Difference} = \frac{|V_1 - V_2|}{\frac{V_1 + V_2}{2}} \times 100\% \]

Where V₁ and V₂ are the two values being compared.

Calculation Steps

1. Identify the two values to be compared
2. Calculate the absolute difference between the two values
3. Calculate the average of the two values
4. Divide the absolute difference by the average
5. Multiply by 100 to convert to a percentage

Example

Let's calculate the percentage difference between 50 and 80:

1. Values: V₁ = 50, V₂ = 80
2. Absolute difference: |80 - 50| = 30
3. Average: (50 + 80) / 2 = 65
4. Divide: 30 / 65 ≈ 0.4615
5. Convert to percentage: 0.4615 × 100% ≈ 46.15%

Result: The percentage difference between 50 and 80 is approximately 46.15%.

Visual representation of 46.15% difference between 50 and 80