Sumwise

Percentage Change from 50 to 40

From 50 to 40 is a 20% decrease

Change
-20%
Difference
-10
New ÷ old
0.8
Direction
decrease

Sumwise · Maintained by Theo Abbott (pen name) · automated checks · Data: exact arithmetic; unit definitions from NIST SP 811 · Updated · How the checks work

How to work it out

  1. Difference: 40 − 50 = -10
  2. Divide by the starting value: -10 ÷ 50 = -0.2
  3. Multiply by 100: -20%
  4. Check: Work forwards from the start: 50 × (1 − 0.2) = 50 × 0.8 = 40.

In a spreadsheet: =(40-50)/50*100. Always divide by the starting value, not the new one. A rise from 40 to 50 is +25%, but the fall from 50 back to 40 is −20%.

What the result means

The new value is 80% of the old one: for every 100 at the start there are now 80, so 20 out of every 100 have gone.

Sales: a price cut from $50 to $40 is a 20% discount.

Why the change back is different

A 20% fall followed by a 20% rise does not bring you back to 50: it gives 48. The second percentage is taken of 40, not of 50, so to undo this change you need 25% instead.

Related results

Results for nearby numbers
50 to 38

From 50 to 38 is a 24% decrease

50 to 39

From 50 to 39 is a 22% decrease

50 to 41

From 50 to 41 is a 18% decrease

50 to 42

From 50 to 42 is a 16% decrease

The other way round: Percentage change from 40 to 50. Percentage change is not symmetric: from 50 to 40 is -20%, but from 40 back to 50 is 25%, because the starting value is the base. For a comparison that is the same both ways, use the percentage difference between 40 and 50: 22.2222%. See Percentage difference between 40 and 50.

Practice

10 to 91
Show answer

From 10 to 91 is a 810% increase

84 to 52
Show answer

From 84 to 52 is a 38.0952% decrease

95 to 49
Show answer

From 95 to 49 is a 48.4211% decrease

91 to 49
Show answer

From 91 to 49 is a 46.1538% decrease

7 to 29
Show answer

From 7 to 29 is a 314.2857% increase

86 to 44
Show answer

From 86 to 44 is a 48.8372% decrease

Calculate another

How answers are calculated and checked: methodology.

Questions

Percentage Change from 50 to 40

Going from 50 to 40 is a 20% decrease. Formula and steps.

Is going from 50 to 40 an increase or a decrease?

A decrease: the value fell by 10, which is 20% of the starting value.

What is the percentage change from 40 back to 50?

25%. It is a different number because the starting value is now 40, not 50.