year-over-year decline

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "year-over-year decline" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used in financial or economic contexts to compare performance metrics from one year to the next, indicating a decrease in value or performance. Example: "The company reported a year-over-year decline in sales, prompting concerns about its market position."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

57 human-written examples

The December result was an improvement over the 5.7 percent year-over-year decline in November.

The New York Times

In November, employment in the city posted the first year-over-year decline since March 2004.

The New York Times

The Americas were the hardest hit, with a year-over-year decline of 45percentt.

The New York Times

For Germany, it was the largest year-over-year decline since 1993.

The New York Times

Luxury goods posted the biggest year-over-year decline, falling 9.2percentt.

The New York Times

Its investment management business, however, reported a 25 percent year-over-year decline in revenue, to $20.9 million.

The New York Times

Mr. Swinburn told investors that exchange rates accounted for more than half of the year-over-year decline in profit.

The New York Times

That is the first year-over-year decline in quarterly profit since the first quarter of 1999.

The New York Times

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, the index fell 0.2percentthethirdhird year-over-year decline on record.

The New York Times

Advertising revenue for March dropped 12.8percentt, an even greater year-over-year decline than the 8.3percentt in February.

The New York Times

As the accompanying charts show, there had never been a year-over-year decline in credit card balances before the current downturn.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When reporting a "year-over-year decline", provide context by including the actual numbers or percentages to illustrate the magnitude of the change. For example, 'The company experienced a "year-over-year decline" of 15% in revenue.'

Common error

Avoid assuming causation based solely on a "year-over-year decline". While the decline indicates a change, further analysis is needed to determine the underlying reasons and contributing factors.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "year-over-year decline" functions as a modifier describing the type of decrease being observed. It is commonly used to quantify and qualify changes in business, economics, and statistics over a 12-month period. As Ludwig AI confirms, this phrase is correct and frequently found in various professional contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Formal & Business

25%

Science

20%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "year-over-year decline" is a common way to describe a decrease in a specific metric when compared to the same period in the previous year. Ludwig AI confirms it is grammatically correct and frequently used in financial, economic, and statistical analysis, as highlighted by numerous examples from news and business sources. When using this phrase, ensure to provide context and avoid jumping to causal conclusions without further analysis. Alternatives such as "annual decrease" or "yearly drop" can be used depending on the desired level of formality. Its main function is to quantify and call the reader's attention on a contraction from one year to another. This expression is most commonly found in news and formal business publications.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

year-on-year decrease

Substitutes "over" with "on", maintaining the same meaning with a slight variation in wording.

year-on-year reduction

Replaces both "over" and "decline" with "on" and "reduction", respectively.

annual decrease

Emphasizes the yearly aspect of the decrease, simplifying the year-over-year comparison.

annual reduction

Replaces "decline" with "reduction", focusing on the act of decreasing.

decline from previous year

Restructures the phrase to specify that the decline is relative to the previous year.

yearly drop

Uses more informal language to describe a decrease on a yearly basis.

decrease compared to last year

Uses a direct comparison to the previous year instead of the year-over-year construct.

contraction from prior year

Replaces "decline" with "contraction", which is often used in economic contexts.

drop from the previous 12 months

Specifies the period as the previous 12 months, providing more clarity.

fall in annual figures

Highlights the fall in annual statistics, broadly indicating a decrease.

FAQs

How is "year-over-year decline" used in financial reports?

In financial reports, "year-over-year decline" is used to compare a company's financial performance in one period (usually a quarter or a year) to the corresponding period in the previous year, highlighting a decrease in a specific metric, such as revenue or profit.

What are some alternatives to "year-over-year decline"?

You can use alternatives such as "annual decrease", "yearly drop", or "decline from previous year", depending on the desired level of formality and specificity.

What does a "year-over-year decline" indicate?

A "year-over-year decline" indicates that a specific metric has decreased when compared to the same period in the previous year. It can signal potential problems or challenges that require further investigation.

Is a "year-over-year decline" always a negative indicator?

While a "year-over-year decline" often suggests negative performance, it's essential to consider the context. For instance, a planned reduction in spending to improve efficiency could result in a temporary "year-over-year decline" in expenses but ultimately benefit the company.