Composition
Donut Chart
A ring chart showing part-to-whole with a hollow center for summary text.
Market Share
Q4 2025
View data (5 rows)
| Share | Company |
|---|---|
| 35 | Acme |
| 25 | Globex |
| 20 | Initech |
| 12 | Umbrella |
| 8 | Other |
Use a donut chart when…
- Part-to-whole with ≤8 categories
- Dashboard KPI with center label
- Budget/market share breakdowns
Avoid when…
- More than 8 categories (use treemap)
- Precise comparison (use bar chart)
- When slices are similar sizes
Data it needs
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Min Rows | 2 |
| Min Columns | 2 |
| Column Types | stringnumber |
| Notes | Values should sum to a meaningful whole — either 100% (already-normalized shares) or a single total a reader can divide into. |
Visual anatomy
Marks
arc
Channels
anglecolor-hue
Axes
-
Guiding principles
Consider instead
Common mistakes
Too many slices
3D effects distorting angles
Not sorting by size
History
Variation of the pie chart (Playfair, 1801) with center removed for labeling space.
Accessibility notes
Always include percentage labels — angle alone is hard to estimate. Pair color hue with patterns or direct labels for color-blind users. Sort slices descending so the largest segment starts at 12 o'clock.
Related reading
Got data? Let's see what works.
Drop your CSV. You'll get a Donut Chart plus four alternatives - ranked by which one actually fits your data best.