Meaning in Context – How to Interpret ‘Up By 120%’ and ‘Increased By 120%’

meaning-in-contextphrase-meaning

There are now 5.7 billion euros, in notes and coins, in circulation,
up 120% from December 31 2001,……

Following significant media coverage of the statistics, calls and
contacts logged on the following day – 6 April – were up by 120%
compared with the previous day.

Plastic bag regulation can have unintended consequences. Sales of
small trash can liners increased 120% after bag bans

Rough sleeping has increased by 120% in England but has fallen
in Scotland.

Such phrases describing growth rate as in the above examples are very common, but sometimes I'm confused about how to read them correctly.

My understanding is:

  • If our 2019 sales are up 120% (or has increased 120%) from year 2018, it means, for instance, US$ 100 million in 2018, and US$ 120 million in 2019

  • If our 2019 sales are up by 120% (or has increased by 120%) from year 2018, it means, for instance, US$ 100 million in 2018, and US$ 220 million in 2019

If the above understanding is correct, then how should I interpret "….. is up 20% from last year"? Is it different from "up 120% from last year"?

Or maybe those expressions include some ambiguities?

Best Answer

"Increased X%" or "increased by X%" or "up X%" or "up by X%" all mean the same. To increase an amount by a percentage is to take the original amount, and add to it the given percentage of that amount. Thus 'increased by 100%' means the same as 'doubled'. 100 increased by 120% is equal to 100 + (100 x 1.20) which is 220.

Percentage change calculator

It is common to use everyday fractions for some percentages, e.g. if something is increased by 25, 33.3, 50, or 75 per cent we can say it is increased by a quarter, a third, a half, or three quarters respectively.

In your question, you write:

My understanding is:

If our 2019 sales is up 120% (or has increased 120%) from year 2018, it means, for instance, US$ 100 million in 2018, and US$ 120 million in 2019

Your understanding is not correct. if your sales were $100 million in 2018 and $120 million in 2019, then they are up 20% (or have increased 20%) from 2018.

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