However, if the numeric values indicate some other statistic where the sum across groups does not equal the statistic ignoring groups, that’s when we run into problems. In cases like this, a pie chart is just as valid as a bar chart as a visualization choice. For numeric values that indicate metric totals or data point counts, the sums across groups will tend to be equal to the sum across the data as a whole. With a bar chart, there is freedom on the numeric value axis to choose whatever values you’d like. While the example above demonstrates how the same data can be plotted in multiple ways, do not make the mistake of thinking that they are always interchangeable. When pie charts and bar charts can be used
The figure below plots the same data as above, but using the pie chart form instead. Each category is associated with a single slice whose size corresponds with the category’s proportion of the total. Note that a bar chart can be oriented in two ways, with the bars oriented vertically or horizontally.Ī pie chart shows how some total amount is divided among distinct categories as a circle (the namesake pie) divided into radial slices. The example bar plots below show how an app’s user base is divided among different device types. For each category, one bar is plotted, and its length along the other axis corresponds with the numeric value associated with the category. On one axis, the category levels are listed. Bar chartĪ bar chart depicts numeric values against distinct categories in a two-axis plot. What are bar charts and pie charts?Ī detailed overview of each chart type is best left to dedicated articles, but a brief overview will be performed here. In this article, you’ll learn more about when to choose each one. Bar charts and pie charts are very common chart types with some overlap in use cases.
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