Calculate the difference between two numbers as a percentage

Microsoft Office Excel 2003

  1. Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
  2. Select the example in the Help topic. Do not select the row or column headers.

    Selecting an example from Help

    Selecting an example from Help

  3. Press CTRL+C.
  4. In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
  5. To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Tools menu, point to Formula Auditing, and then click Formula Auditing Mode.
 
1
2
A B
November December
2342 2500
Formula Description (Result)
=(B2-A2)/ABS(A2) Percentage change (0.06746 or 6.75%)

Note   To view the number as a percent, select the cell and click Cells on the Format menu. Click the Number tab, and then click Percentage in the Category box.

Function details

ABS