Relationship
Connected Scatter Plot
Scatter plot with points connected by lines, showing trajectory through two dimensions.
South Korea: GDP per capita vs Life expectancy
1960-2020, every 5 years (path direction = time)
View data (13 rows)
| GDP | Life Expectancy | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 944 | 55.30 | 1960 |
| 1118 | 58.80 | 1965 |
| 1696 | 62.20 | 1970 |
| 2441 | 64.40 | 1975 |
| 3358 | 66.10 | 1980 |
| 4994 | 68.90 | 1985 |
| 8465 | 71.70 | 1990 |
| 13137 | 73.70 | 1995 |
| 16995 | 76 | 2000 |
| 21626 | 78.20 | 2005 |
| 26070 | 80.20 | 2010 |
| 28732 | 82 | 2015 |
| 31721 | 83.40 | 2020 |
Use a connected scatter plot when…
- Showing change path between two variables over time
- Before/after trajectories
Avoid when…
- No temporal ordering
- Many overlapping paths
Data it needs
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Min Rows | 6 |
| Min Columns | 3 |
| Column Types | stringnumbernumber |
Visual anatomy
Marks
circleline
Channels
position-xposition-yorder
Axes
x-quantitativey-quantitative
Guiding principles
Consider instead
Common mistakes
Assuming correlation is causation
Missing temporal labels on points
History
Long-standing form in economics and physics for phase diagrams and hysteresis loops; popularized for general audiences by Hans Rosling's animated trajectories at Gapminder (2006-).
Accessibility notes
Describe trajectory direction. Provide temporal order in text.
Related reading
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