About the CAGR Calculator
CAGR Calculator turns the start and end value of an investment, a business figure or any growing number into one steady yearly growth rate. Choose what you want to find: the growth rate itself, the value at the end, the number of years needed or the amount you must start with. Type the other numbers, give the time as years or as two dates, and the answer appears at once, with a year-by-year table showing how the value builds. The tool also shows total growth and the simple average per year so you can see how much compounding matters. It is meant for quick planning and for comparing funds, sales, users or savings on equal terms. Everything is worked out in your browser and nothing is stored.
Updated September 2026
How to use the CAGR Calculator
- 1Choose what to find: growth rate, end value, time or start value.
- 2Enter the start value and end value, or the growth rate, depending on the mode.
- 3Give the time as a number of years, or tick the box and pick two dates.
- 4Pick a currency symbol if you like, then read the answer in the big box.
- 5Scroll to the table to see the value at the end of each year, and copy the result if you need it.
Why CAGR is used
Growth rarely arrives in a straight line. A fund may rise 30 percent one year and fall 10 percent the next, and a company may double its sales in two years with an uneven path between. CAGR smooths the path into one number that answers a simple question: at what steady yearly rate would this value have grown to end up where it did? Because it is a single percentage, it lets you compare things of different sizes and lengths, such as a small shop and a large one, or a three-year fund record and a seven-year one.
It is common in reports on investments, revenue, user numbers, population and prices. The word compound matters: each year's growth is added to the base that the next year's growth applies to, which is why a steady 10 percent makes a value double in a little over seven years.
The four modes
- Growth rate: you know where you started, where you ended and how long it took.
- End value: you know the start, the yearly rate you expect and the years, and want the result.
- Time: you know the start, the target and the rate, and want to know how many years it will take.
- Start value: you know the goal, the rate and the years, and want to know what to begin with.
Reading the results
The big box shows the answer for the mode you chose. Under it, total growth shows the whole change from start to end as a percentage, and the simple average divides that by the years without compounding. The gap between the simple average and CAGR grows with the length of the period and the size of the swings, and it is a good reminder why headline averages can mislead.
The table lists the value at the end of each whole year and the gain in that year. It is drawn from the steady rate, so the real path was probably bumpier. If your time is 4.5 years, the table stops at year 4 and the final value in the answer covers the extra half year.
Limits to keep in mind
CAGR says nothing about risk or the path taken, only about the two end points, so two investments with the same CAGR can feel very different along the way. Changing the start or end date can change it a lot. It also ignores anything added or withdrawn during the period, taxes and fees. Treat the figure as a summary of the past, not a forecast.
For related questions, ROI Calculator shows the simple return and its annual form, Compound Interest Calculator shows growth with regular deposits, Inflation Calculator shows what rising prices do to the same money, and Percentage Calculator handles the total change on its own.
Features
- Four modes: rate, end value, time needed, start value
- Time as years (decimals allowed) or between two dates
- Total growth and simple average shown beside CAGR
- Year-by-year growth table up to 40 years
- Currency symbol picker with Indian digit grouping for rupees
- Clear messages when the numbers cannot work
- Copy the result in one tap
- Runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded
Frequently asked questions
What is CAGR and how is it calculated?
CAGR is the constant yearly rate that would take a value from its start to its end over a period. The formula is (end ÷ start) raised to the power of 1 ÷ years, minus 1. Going from 10,000 to 25,000 in 5 years gives (2.5)^(0.2) − 1, which is about 20.11 percent a year.
Is CAGR the same as the average return?
No. A simple average adds up yearly changes and divides by the count, and it ignores compounding. CAGR is the geometric rate that reproduces the real end value. If a value doubles in year one and halves in year two, the simple average is +25 percent but the CAGR is 0 percent, because you finished where you started.
Can I use dates instead of a number of years?
Yes. Tick the box under the value fields and choose a from date and a to date. The tool counts the days between them and divides by 365.25 to get the years, so a period of 2 years and 6 months becomes about 2.5 years.
Why does CAGR fail for a start value of zero or a loss to zero?
The formula divides the end value by the start value and takes a root, so both must be above zero. A start of zero cannot grow by a percentage, and an end of zero would be a loss of 100 percent, which has no steady yearly rate. The tool tells you when the numbers cannot be used.
Does CAGR include regular deposits or withdrawals?
No. It treats the start and end value as one lump sum with nothing added or taken out in between. If you invest every month, use SIP Calculator or IRR Calculator, which take the timing of each payment into account.
Can CAGR be negative?
Yes. If the end value is lower than the start value, the result is a negative percentage, which tells you the steady yearly loss. A value that falls from 100 to 64 in two years has a CAGR of −20 percent.
How long will it take to reach my target?
Choose Time, enter your start value, target value and expected yearly growth rate, and the tool solves for the years using logarithms. Growing 10,000 to 20,000 at 8 percent a year takes about 9 years, close to what the rule of 72 predicts.