What is the difference between comparative financial statement and common size financial statement?

Comparative financial statements present the financial data of a company over multiple periods, allowing for year-over-year analysis of changes in financial metrics. In contrast, common size financial statements express each line item as a percentage of a base figure, such as total revenue or total assets, facilitating comparison across companies or industries regardless of size. While comparative statements focus on trends over time, common size statements emphasize relative proportions at a specific point in time.