Find the percentage growth rate in GDP between two periods.
How it works
Growth rate is the percentage change: (GDP₂ – GDP₁) ÷ GDP₁ × 100. GDP rising from $20 trillion to $21.5 trillion is 7.5% growth.
What this does not include
This is distinct from this site’s GDP per capita calculator, which divides total GDP by population rather than comparing two periods’ totals. This also doesn’t adjust for inflation — a nominal GDP figure entered here gives nominal growth, not real (inflation-adjusted) growth.
How to use this calculator
- Enter GDP for the earlier period.
- Enter GDP for the later period.
A worked example
GDP rising from $20 trillion to $21.5 trillion: growth rate = (21.5−20)/20 × 100 = 7.5%.
GDP falling from $20 trillion to $19 trillion: growth rate = −5% — a contraction, shown as a negative rate.
What the variables mean
| Variable | Meaning |
|---|---|
| GDP 1 | GDP at the start of the period |
| GDP 2 | GDP at the end of the period |
Edge cases worth knowing
A negative growth rate signals economic contraction, not an error — two consecutive quarters of negative growth is the common informal definition of a recession.
A starting GDP of zero makes the growth rate undefined — there’s no meaningful baseline to measure percentage change from.
What’s the difference between nominal and real GDP growth?
Nominal growth uses raw GDP figures, which include the effect of inflation; real growth adjusts for inflation first, so it reflects actual economic output growth rather than just rising prices.
Can GDP growth be negative?
Yes — a shrinking economy shows negative growth, commonly associated with a recession when it persists across multiple periods.
Does this work for comparing any two time periods, not just years?
Yes — quarterly, annual, or any other period comparison works the same way, as long as both GDP figures use a consistent basis (both nominal, or both real).
