Percentage Decrease Calculator
Type the old and new values to get the percentage drop, or switch to taking a percentage off a number, such as 30% off a sale price.
From to , what’s the decrease?
Percentage decrease
20%
From 85 to 68 is a decrease of 20%.
How this works: Method, 1 source, Checked against 1 worked example,
How this works
Method
Subtract the new value from the old one to get the drop, divide by the old value and multiply by 100. A price cut from 85 to 68 is a drop of 17, and 17 ÷ 85 = 0.2, so it is 20% off. Full method
How it’s tested
One worked example for this page is checked by automated tests before every release: given the inputs, the tool must show the expected answer.
Privacy
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Changes
- Added eight pages for common questions, from percent of a number to percent error and reverse percentages, each with its own method, examples and table.
- Added key facts with a worked example of each formula.
- Redesigned: type the numbers straight into a sentence, with bars on one scale that picture the answer.
- Results now update as you type, with no Calculate button.
- First published.
How to calculate a percentage decrease
Subtract the new value from the old one to get the drop, divide by the old value and multiply by 100. A price cut from 85 to 68 is a drop of 17, and 17 ÷ 85 = 0.2, so it is 20% off.
To take a percentage off, multiply by 1 minus the percentage as a decimal. 30% off 60 is 60 × 0.7 = 42, and the saving is the other 30%, 18. Two discounts multiply rather than add: 20% off and then another 25% off is × 0.8 × 0.75 = × 0.6, which is 40% off in total, not 45%.
A decrease can never be more than 100% of a positive amount, because at 100% nothing is left. If a value falls by half (50%) it needs a 100% increase to get back where it started, which is why losses are harder to recover than they look.
% decrease = (old − new) ÷ old × 100 · new = old × (1 − p ÷ 100)
- US grade 7 standards list markdowns, discounts and percent decrease among the multistep percent problems students learn to solve with proportions. Source: Common Core State Standards, Grade 7 Ratios and Proportional Relationships (7.RP.A.3).
Sale prices for each discount
What is left to pay after each percentage off, on prices of 20, 49.99 and 80, and the saving on 80.
| Discount | Pay (× factor) | Price 20 | Price 49.99 | Price 80 | You save on 80 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5% off | 0.95 | 19 | 47.49 | 76 | 4 |
| 10% off | 0.9 | 18 | 44.99 | 72 | 8 |
| 15% off | 0.85 | 17 | 42.49 | 68 | 12 |
| 20% off | 0.8 | 16 | 39.99 | 64 | 16 |
| 25% off | 0.75 | 15 | 37.49 | 60 | 20 |
| 30% off | 0.7 | 14 | 34.99 | 56 | 24 |
| 33⅓% off | 0.6667 | 13.33 | 33.33 | 53.33 | 26.67 |
| 40% off | 0.6 | 12 | 29.99 | 48 | 32 |
| 50% off | 0.5 | 10 | 25 | 40 | 40 |
| 60% off | 0.4 | 8 | 20 | 32 | 48 |
Show all 14 rowsShow fewer
| 70% off | 0.3 | 6 | 15 | 24 | 56 |
| 75% off | 0.25 | 5 | 12.5 | 20 | 60 |
| 80% off | 0.2 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 64 |
| 90% off | 0.1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 72 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the percentage decrease from 250 to 200?
The drop is 50, and 50 ÷ 250 = 0.2, so it is a 20% decrease. Going back up from 200 to 250 is a 25% increase.
How do I take 15% off a price?
Multiply by 0.85. A $120 jacket at 15% off costs 120 × 0.85 = $102, a saving of $18.
Are 20% off and then 10% off the same as 30% off?
No. The second discount comes off the already-reduced price: × 0.8 × 0.9 = × 0.72, which is 28% off in total.