year over year increase

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "year over year increase" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used in financial or business contexts to compare performance metrics from one year to the next. Example: "The company reported a year over year increase in revenue, indicating strong growth."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

It was the fifth consecutive period that earnings had registered a year-over-year increase.

The New York Times

That was the biggest year-over-year increase since July 2006.

The New York Times

Still, that is the slowest year-over-year increase in five months.

The New York Times

Toyota said it did not expect to post a year-over-year increase until early 2012.

The New York Times

It also reported a 3.7 percent year-over-year increase in holiday sales.

The New York Times

Last year, Beckman reported a year-over-year increase in annual revenue, to nearly $3.3 billion.

The New York Times

Sales increased 24 percent, the industry's largest year-over-year increase in eight years.

The New York Times

That is the smallest year-over-year increase since the 12 months ended in December 1999.

The New York Times

It was the 20th consecutive year-over-year increase in the charge-off rate.

The New York Times

That comes on the heels of a 12% year-over-year increase in January.

The New York Times

The company reported a 59% year-over-year increase in advertising revenue on Wednesday.

The Guardian - Tech

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When reporting a "year over year increase", always specify the period being compared. For example, "The company reported a 10% year over year increase in Q2 2025 compared to Q2 2024."

Common error

Avoid assuming that a single "year over year increase" indicates a sustainable trend. Consider multiple periods and underlying factors before drawing conclusions.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "year over year increase" functions primarily as a noun phrase. It describes the act or instance of increasing when comparing a specific period to the same period in the previous year. Ludwig AI considers this term correct and usable.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

40%

Science

10%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "year over year increase" is a commonly used noun phrase to describe growth when comparing a period to the same period from the previous year. Ludwig AI confirms it's grammatically correct. Predominantly used in news, business, and financial contexts, its function is to quantify positive change. While some alternatives exist, such as "annual growth rate" or "yearly increase", it's essential to specify the periods being compared and avoid misinterpreting short-term gains as long-term trends.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Year-on-year growth

Synonymous and commonly interchangeable, but may be slightly more formal or British English.

Yearly increase

A more straightforward and less formal way of expressing the same concept.

Increase compared to last year

Emphasizes the comparison to the previous year, making the context explicit.

Increase over the past year

Highlights the timeframe of the increase, emphasizing the duration.

Annual growth rate

Focuses on the rate of growth calculated annually, simplifying the comparison aspect.

Growth from previous year

Focuses on the growth aspect relative to the preceding year.

Annual percentage increase

Highlights the percentage of increase on an annual basis, adding specificity.

Annualized growth

Describes growth adjusted to represent a full year, often used for shorter periods.

One-year growth

Simplifies the concept to a single year's growth, less formal.

Prior year growth

Focuses growth on the prior year

FAQs

How to use "year over year increase" in a sentence?

You can use "year over year increase" to describe the growth or improvement of a metric when compared to the same period of the previous year. For example, "The company's revenue showed a significant "year over year increase"."

What's the difference between "year over year increase" and "annual increase"?

"Year over year increase" specifically compares a period (e.g., a quarter or a month) to the same period in the previous year. "Annual increase" refers to the increase over a full year, without specifying a particular period within that year. They are similar but not perfectly interchangeable, as "year over year increase" focuses on specific periods.

What can I say instead of "year over year increase"?

You can use alternatives like "annual growth rate", "yearly increase", or "growth from previous year" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "year-over-year increase" or "year over year increase"?

Both "year-over-year increase" (with hyphens) and "year over year increase" (without hyphens) are acceptable. The hyphenated version is often preferred in formal writing, but the meaning remains the same, so choose the one you find more adequate.