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Bar chart

Shows the differences or similarities between values. Bar chart data answers the question of "how many?" in each category.

Usage

Use it to perform a comparison of values across different subgroups of data. From a bar chart, it can be seen which groups are highest or most common, and how groups compare against each other.

Basic variant

The basic bar chart shows numerical comparisons across categories. One axis of the chart shows the specific categories being compared and the other axis is numeric in nature.

Basic bar chart

Multi-set variant

This variation is used when two or more data series are plotted side-by-side and grouped together under categories, all on the same axis.

Multi-set bar chart

Stacked variant

The stacked bar chart is used to show how a category is divided. It helps to understand what relationship each part has with the total amount.

Stacked bar chart

Best practices

  • Plot the bars against a zero-value baseline to accurately reflect the difference in the data.
  • Use colors with purpose. Select accent colors to highlight meaningful changes.
  • Bar charts can be vertical or horizontal. Horizontal bar charts work best when there are lots of different categories with long labels.
  • Use common sense and adjust the width of the bars according to the amount of elements. The minimum bar width is 16px.

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