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Recovery after a loss calculator

See the percent gain needed to get back to a starting amount after a decline, and how long a steady rate you choose would take to do it.

An illustration, not a forecast. This calculator shows why percent gains and losses are not symmetric, and how long a steady rate you choose would take to make up a decline. It doesn't predict a recovery.

Type a percent decline, or a starting and ending value (the percent is then filled in). The optional rate is held steady and used only to illustrate how long a climb back would take.

Gain needed to get back to the start42.9%
Years to recover at the rate you entered7.3

After a 30% decline, getting back to the start takes a gain of 42.9%, because the remaining amount is only 70% of what you began with. At 5% a year, that would take about 7.3 years.

The formula

Gain needed = decline ÷ (1 − decline)
Years to recover = ln(1 + gain needed) ÷ ln(1 + yearly rate)

The decline and the rate go in as decimals (30% is 0.30). A 100% decline leaves nothing to grow, so the gain needed isn't meaningful and the calculator says so.

A worked example

A 30% decline takes 10,000 down to 7,000. The gain that gets back to 10,000 is 10,000 ÷ 7,000 − 1 = 3 ÷ 7 ≈ 42.9%. At a steady 5% a year, the number of years is ln(10,000 ÷ 7,000) ÷ ln(1.05) ≈ 7.3. The same relationship at other declines: a 20% drop needs a 25% gain, and a 50% drop needs a 100% gain.

The growth rate calculator works out the percent change and the CAGR between any two numbers. The compound growth calculator applies a fixed rate year by year, including a negative one.

Common questions

Why is the gain needed larger than the loss?

Because the percent is taken from a smaller base. After a 30% decline, 70 is left. Getting from 70 back to 100 is a 30-point rise on a base of 70, which is about 42.9%, not 30%.

What is the formula?

Gain needed = decline ÷ (1 − decline), with the decline as a decimal. After a 30% drop: 0.30 ÷ 0.70 ≈ 42.9%. After a 50% drop, the gain needed is 100%. After a 20% drop, it is 25%.

Can I type a starting and ending value instead of a percent?

Yes. The decline is then (start − end) ÷ start × 100, and the gain needed is (start ÷ end − 1) × 100. 10,000 falling to 7,000 is a 30% decline and still needs a 42.9% gain.

Does the number of years predict how long a recovery will take?

No. It is the time a steady rate you choose would take to make up the loss. Real returns change from year to year and can stay negative. A past decline doesn't say what comes next.

What about a gain, rather than a decline?

Type a negative decline, or an ending value above the start. The calculator then shows the later drop that would give back the gain, which is the same relationship run in reverse.

Disclosures

Editor holdings
The editor holds no position in any company named on this page. As of Nov 11, 2026.
Compensation
Nobody paid for this calculator. No affiliate links on this calculator.
Sources
Each company's own SEC filings, linked next to each number.
Last updated
Nov 10, 2026

General education, the same for every reader. Not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security, and it doesn't consider your situation.

More in Learn and Tools · Methodology & Disclosures explains where every number comes from.