Percentage Change vs Percentage Points

Percentage change

Percentage change compares the size of a change with the original value.

Percentage points

Percentage points describe the direct difference between two percentages.

Example

An increase from 20% to 25% is a 5 percentage-point increase but a 25% relative increase.

Practical takeaway

Use the metric that matches the business question you are trying to answer. When several metrics describe different stages of the same workflow, compare them together rather than optimizing one in isolation.