Drawdown Recovery Calculator
See how much gain is required to recover from a given percentage drawdown. A 50% loss needs a 100% gain to break even — the math gets worse from there.
%
Enter the percentage loss from peak
Recovery Needed
Drawdown20.0%
Gain to Recover25.0%
Common Drawdowns Reference
| Drawdown | Gain to Recover |
|---|---|
| 5% | 5.3% |
| 10% | 11.1% |
| 15% | 17.6% |
| 20% | 25.0% |
| 25% | 33.3% |
| 30% | 42.9% |
| 35% | 53.8% |
| 40% | 66.7% |
| 50% | 100.0% |
| 60% | 150.0% |
| 70% | 233.3% |
| 80% | 400.0% |
| 90% | 900.0% |
FAQ
Why does recovery require a larger percentage than the drawdown?›
Because the gain is calculated on a smaller capital base. After a 50% loss on $10,000 you have $5,000 — and a 100% gain on $5,000 is needed to get back to $10,000. The asymmetry grows exponentially with larger drawdowns.
What is considered an acceptable maximum drawdown?›
Most professional fund managers aim to keep maximum drawdown below 20%. Drawdowns beyond 30-40% become extremely difficult to recover from, both mathematically and psychologically.