Key takeaways
Two rates can differ by five percentage points and still represent a fifty percent change. Knowing which one a sentence means stops you from misreading statistics.
- Percentage points measure the plain difference between two percentages.
- Percentage change measures that difference relative to the starting value.
- From 10 % to 15 % is +5 points and +50 %.
Two numbers, one headline
An interest rate moves from 4 % to 5 %. A newspaper calls it a one percent rise; a central bank calls it a one percentage-point rise. The bank is right, and the difference matters.
Percentage points
A percentage point is the unit of the gap between two percentages. 4 % to 5 % is one point. 10 % to 15 % is five points. No division is involved.
Percentage change
Percentage change compares the gap with where you started: (5 − 4) ÷ 4 × 100 = 25 %. A one-point rise from 4 % is a 25 % increase in the rate.
Why it matters
A medicine that cuts a risk from 2 % to 1 % halves the risk (a 50 % reduction) but only removes one percentage point. Both statements are true; only one of them tells you how many people are affected.
A rule of thumb
If the two figures being compared are themselves percentages, say "points". If you are describing growth of a quantity, say "percent".
Related questions
- What does a percentage point mean?
- Is a 2 percentage point rise a lot?
Sources
Reviewed by Dana Whitfield on October 18, 2026
