year-over-year increase

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "year-over-year increase" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a situation in which a statistic or figure from one year is compared with the same statistic or figure from the prior year and there is an increase. For example, you could say "Sales revenue increased by 8 percent year-over-year."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 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 exact periods being compared (e.g., "Q3 2024 vs Q3 2023") to provide clarity.

Common error

Avoid simply stating a "year-over-year increase" without providing the actual percentages or figures. Context is crucial for understanding the significance of the increase.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "year-over-year increase" functions as a noun phrase often used as an adjective modifying another noun, such as "revenue", "sales", or "growth". Ludwig shows it is commonly used to describe a specific type of increase related to annual comparisons.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

74%

Formal & Business

14%

Science

12%

Less common in

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "year-over-year increase" is a common and grammatically correct way to describe growth when comparing a period to the same period in the previous year. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's widely used in news, business, and financial reporting to analyze trends and performance. Remember to be specific about the periods you're comparing and provide context by including the actual percentage change. Alternatives like "annual increase" or "year-on-year growth" can be used depending on the context, but the core meaning remains consistent.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

year-on-year growth

Replaces "increase" with "growth", emphasizing the positive change.

year-over-year growth rate

Combines both notions of year-over-year and growth rate.

year-to-year improvement

Focuses on the improved performance compared to the previous year.

growth from previous year

Uses "growth" instead of "increase" and simplifies the temporal reference.

annual increase

Focuses on the increase over a year, simplifying the comparison aspect.

increase compared to last year

Specifies the basis of the comparison more directly.

increase over the previous year

Explicitly states the period being compared to.

annual growth rate

Highlights the rate of increase over the year.

prior year increase

A less common but understandable alternative, putting the emphasis on previous year.

annualized growth

Refers to the growth adjusted to represent a full year.

FAQs

How do I use "year-over-year increase" in a sentence?

You can use "year-over-year increase" to describe growth from one period to the same period in the previous year. For example, "The company reported a 15% "year-over-year increase" in revenue."

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

The terms "year-over-year increase" and "year-on-year increase" are synonymous and can be used interchangeably to describe the same comparison.

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

Alternatives include "annual increase", "year-on-year growth", or "increase compared to last year", depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "year-over-year increased"?

No, "year-over-year increased" is not grammatically correct. The correct phrase is ""year-over-year increase"", where "year-over-year" acts as an adjective describing the type of increase.