What is a CAGR calculator?
A CAGR calculator finds the compound annual growth rate – the steady yearly rate at which a value would have to grow to go from a starting amount to an ending amount over a given period. Enter the starting value, the ending value and the period in years, months or exact dates, and this online CAGR calculator shows the CAGR, the absolute return, the total gain and the value in each year at that rate. Use it for a stock, a mutual fund lumpsum, gold, property, crypto, company sales or profits – anything with a start and an end figure.
What is CAGR?
What is CAGR? CAGR stands for Compound Annual Growth Rate. It answers the question "at what fixed yearly rate would my money have grown to reach this amount?" Real investments rarely grow smoothly – a fund may rise 30% one year and fall 10% the next – but CAGR smooths those ups and downs into one comparable yearly figure. That is why mutual fund factsheets show 3-year, 5-year and 10-year returns as CAGR, and why analysts use it for revenue and profit growth.
What is CAGR in mutual fund and share market?
For a mutual fund, the "5Y return" on a fund page is the CAGR of the NAV over the last five years – it tells you what a one-time (lumpsum) investment made five years ago would have earned per year. In the share market, CAGR of a stock's price or of a company's earnings is a quick way to compare growth across different time spans.
CAGR formula
How to calculate CAGR? The CAGR formula is:
CAGR = (Ending value ÷ Starting value)1 ÷ n − 1
- Ending value = value at the end of the period
- Starting value = value at the beginning
- n = number of years (months ÷ 12, or days ÷ 365.25)
Multiply the result by 100 to get a percentage.
CAGR calculator example: how to calculate CAGR for 5 years
You invested ₹1,00,000 and it grew to ₹2,00,000 in 5 years. CAGR = (2,00,000 ÷ 1,00,000)1/5 − 1 = 20.2 − 1 = 14.87%. Your absolute return is 100%, but spread over 5 years with compounding it is 14.87% a year.
How to calculate CAGR for 3 years
A company's sales grew from ₹50 crore to ₹72 crore in 3 years. CAGR = (72 ÷ 50)1/3 − 1 = 1.440.333 − 1 = 12.92%. That is the CAGR for sales growth you would quote in a report.
CAGR with months or dates
If you held an investment for 2 years and 6 months, enter 30 months – n becomes 2.5 years. If you know the exact purchase and sale dates, choose "Dates" and the CAGR calculator with dates counts the days for you. This is the most accurate for stocks bought on a specific day.
How to calculate CAGR in Excel
Use =(End/Start)^(1/Years)-1, for example =(200000/100000)^(1/5)-1 returns 14.87%. Excel also has =RRI(5, 100000, 200000), which gives the same answer – the RRI function is simply CAGR. For dates, use =(End/Start)^(365/(EndDate-StartDate))-1.
CAGR vs average growth rate
Why use CAGR vs average growth? The simple average of yearly returns overstates performance when returns swing. If ₹100 rises 50% to ₹150 and then falls 50% to ₹75, the average return is 0%, yet you lost money. CAGR = (75 ÷ 100)1/2 − 1 = −13.4% a year, which reflects what actually happened. The same logic explains CAGR formula vs growth rate: a year-on-year growth rate covers one year; CAGR covers many years with compounding.
CAGR vs XIRR and IRR
CAGR works only for a single investment with one start value and one end value. A SIP has many instalments on different dates, so its return must be measured with XIRR (extended internal rate of return), which is what fund statements show for SIPs. CAGR vs IRR: IRR/XIRR handle multiple cash flows; for a one-time investment with no other flows, CAGR, IRR and XIRR are all the same number. To project a SIP forward instead, use the SIP calculator; to project a one-time amount at a known CAGR, use the lumpsum calculator.
What is a good CAGR?
| Asset (long-term, India) | Typical CAGR range |
|---|---|
| Savings account / FD | 3–7.5% |
| PPF / SSY (2026) | 7.1% / 8.2% |
| Nifty 50 index (long periods) | roughly 10–13% |
| Consumer inflation | about 4–6% |
A good CAGR beats inflation comfortably and matches the risk you took. Compare a fund's CAGR with its benchmark index over the same period, not with a different period. For the inflation-adjusted (real) CAGR, use: (1 + CAGR) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1, or check the inflation calculator.
CAGR quick formula: the rule of 72
A handy shortcut: money doubles in about 72 ÷ CAGR years. At 12% it doubles in about 6 years; at 8% in about 9 years. Reverse it to estimate CAGR: if money doubled in 5 years, CAGR ≈ 72 ÷ 5 = 14.4% (the exact answer is 14.87%).
Limitations of CAGR
- It hides volatility – two investments with the same CAGR can have very different ups and downs.
- It ignores cash flows in between, such as extra investments, withdrawals or dividends paid out.
- For periods under a year, annualising can exaggerate results. For the simple return instead, see the ROI calculator.
Stocks, funds, sales or crypto: what to enter
Years, months or exact dates
The CAGR calculator lets you give the period in years, in months or in days. Choose "Years" or "Months" for a round period. Choose "Dates" to enter a buy date and a sell date; it counts the exact days between them, which makes the calculator precise date wise.
CAGR calculator for stocks and mutual funds
For stocks, enter the buy price and the current price (or total value) and the dates. For a mutual fund, enter the NAV or the investment value at the start and end. Either way you are measuring a single lumpsum investment – one time in, one value out – which is exactly what the CAGR calculator is built for.
SIPs need XIRR instead
A SIP has many cash flows, so a single start and end value gives the wrong answer; a CAGR calculator for SIP returns should use XIRR, as explained in the XIRR section above.
Sales and profit growth
Businesses report revenue or profit growth over several years as a CAGR. Enter the first and last year's sales figures to get the yearly growth rate.
Bitcoin and other crypto
The CAGR calculator handles bitcoin and other crypto the same way: enter the buy price, the current price and the dates. Crypto CAGRs can be very high or very negative.
Working in reverse
To go the other way and find the future value from a known CAGR, use future value = starting value × (1 + CAGR)n. You do not need a separate reverse CAGR calculator: the lumpsum calculator does this sum for you.
Adjusting for inflation
For an inflation adjusted (real) CAGR, use (1 + CAGR) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1. At 12% CAGR and 5% inflation, the real CAGR is about 6.7%.
Reading the result
The CAGR calculator gives the result as a yearly percentage, and the table below it shows the value each year at that rate.
The Nifty 50
Enter the index level on two dates to get the Nifty 50's CAGR over that period. The index has delivered roughly 10–13% a year over long periods.
Is it free?
Yes. This CAGR calculator is free to use online in India and anywhere else, with no login. The formula and worked example above let you check any result by hand.
CAGR calculator for SIP investment: monthly and yearly SIP
With a SIP you invest many times, so a single start and end value cannot give the true yearly return. For a monthly SIP or a yearly SIP, the correct figure is the XIRR, which works out the one yearly rate that turns all your instalments into the final value. Here are two worked examples:
| Investment | Total invested | Value after 5 years | Return (XIRR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly SIP of ₹10,000 for 5 years | ₹6,00,000 | ₹8,00,000 | about 11.4% a year |
| Yearly SIP of ₹1,00,000 for 5 years | ₹5,00,000 | ₹7,00,000 | about 11.4% a year |
If you wrongly put ₹6 lakh and ₹8 lakh into the CAGR formula for 5 years, you get only 5.9%, because it assumes all the money was invested on day one. So for a monthly investment or a yearly investment plan, use =XIRR(amounts, dates) in Excel. A step-up SIP is the same: list each instalment with its date and use XIRR, because the CAGR calculator with step up would need one start value, which a SIP does not have.
CAGR calculator monthly, quarterly and per year
CAGR is a yearly rate. To turn it into a monthly or quarterly compounding rate, use:
Monthly rate = (1 + CAGR)1/12 − 1 Quarterly rate = (1 + CAGR)1/4 − 1
A CAGR of 14.87% per year equals about 1.16% a month or 3.53% a quarter. Going the other way, if you have a compound monthly growth rate (CMGR), CAGR = (1 + CMGR)12 − 1. For a CAGR formula on quarterly data, count the quarters and set n = quarters ÷ 4 years. For month wise data, enter the number of months in this CAGR calculator and it converts them to years for you.
CAGR calculation: how many years to reach a target
Rearranging the formula tells you how many years it takes to grow from one value to another at a given CAGR:
n = ln(Ending value ÷ Starting value) ÷ ln(1 + CAGR)
At 12% CAGR, money doubles in ln 2 ÷ ln 1.12 = 6.1 years. At 15% it takes about 5 years. That is the exact version of the rule of 72 shown above.
CAGR formula vs IRR vs RRI
- CAGR: one starting value, one ending value, n years.
- IRR / XIRR: any number of cash flows in and out; XIRR uses actual dates. With one investment and one exit, IRR equals CAGR.
- RRI: Excel's built-in CAGR function,
=RRI(n, start, end). The CAGR formula vs RRI gives the same answer.
CAGR calculator kya hota hai? (CAGR in simple words)
CAGR ka matlab hai compound annual growth rate: the steady yearly growth that would take your starting value to the ending value. A CAGR calculator does this sum for you. If ₹1 lakh becomes ₹2 lakh in 5 years, the CAGR is 14.87% a year.
CAGR calculator in USD, Nepal rupees or any currency
CAGR is a percentage, so the currency does not matter. Enter values in USD, NPR (Nepal), euro or rupees; the CAGR calculator gives the same rate as long as both values use the same currency. If you invested in USD but count returns in rupees, convert both values to rupees at the exchange rate on each date first, because currency moves change your CAGR.
Is there a CAGR calculator app?
You do not need a separate CAGR calculator app. This page works in any phone browser, needs no sign-up, and you can add it to your home screen for quick use.
CAGR calculator trick for mental maths
For a quick estimate, divide 72 by the number of years it took to double. Doubled in 6 years? CAGR is about 12%. Tripled in 10 years? Use 115 ÷ 10 ≈ 11.5%; the exact answer is 11.6%.
Frequently asked questions
How to calculate CAGR?
CAGR = (Ending value ÷ Starting value)^(1/n) − 1, where n is the number of years. For ₹1 lakh growing to ₹2 lakh in 5 years, CAGR = 2^(0.2) − 1 = 14.87%.
What is CAGR in mutual fund?
It is the annualised growth rate of a fund’s NAV over a period such as 3, 5 or 10 years. It shows what a lumpsum invested at the start would have earned each year.
What is the difference between CAGR and XIRR?
CAGR measures growth between one starting and one ending value. XIRR handles many cash flows on different dates, such as SIP instalments. For a single lumpsum, both are equal.
What is a good CAGR?
Over long periods, a CAGR of 10–12% or more on equity investments is considered good in India, as it beats inflation of about 4–6% by a wide margin. For safe deposits, 7–8% is good.
Can CAGR be negative?
Yes. If the ending value is lower than the starting value, the CAGR is negative, showing the average yearly rate at which the value fell.
How to calculate CAGR in Excel?
Use =(End/Start)^(1/Years)-1 or the RRI function: =RRI(years, start, end).
Can I use a CAGR calculator for a SIP?
No. A SIP has many instalments, so use XIRR. For example, ₹10,000 a month for 5 years that grows to ₹8 lakh has an XIRR of about 11.4%, while the CAGR formula would wrongly show 5.9%.
How do I convert CAGR to a monthly rate?
Monthly rate = (1 + CAGR)^(1/12) − 1. A 14.87% CAGR is about 1.16% a month.
How many years does it take to double money at a given CAGR?
Years = ln 2 ÷ ln(1 + CAGR). At 12% it takes about 6.1 years; the rule of 72 gives 6.
Last updated 2026-09-18