It’s All Relative

“Profits doubled overnight!” sounds exciting. Until you find out they went from €2 to €4. A 100% increase, yes, but also… kind of meaningless.

Percentages without the understanding of the underlying data can be sneaky. A “30% reduction in crime” sounds amazing, but if the total number of crimes went from 10 to 7, that’s not exactly a revolution. The actual numbers matter just as much as the percentage changes.

Next time you see a flashy percentage, ask: “Compared to what?” – because 50% of zero is still zero.