Comparison
Paired Bar Chart
Two bars per category placed adjacent for direct pairwise comparison.
Department Budget Comparison
2024 vs 2025 (thousands USD)
View data (6 rows)
| Department | Budget 2024 | Budget 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | 520 | 610 |
| Marketing | 340 | 380 |
| Sales | 290 | 310 |
| Design | 200 | 260 |
| Support | 180 | 210 |
| HR | 150 | 170 |
Use a paired bar chart when…
- Comparing two series side by side
- Before/after values
- Two-group benchmarks
Avoid when…
- More than two series (use grouped bar)
- Composition (use stacked bar)
Data it needs
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Min Rows | 2 |
| Min Columns | 3 |
| Column Types | stringnumber |
| Notes | One label column plus exactly two numeric columns sharing the same unit. |
Visual anatomy
Marks
rectangle
Channels
positionlengthcolor-hue
Axes
x-categoricaly-quantitative
Guiding principles
Consider instead
Common mistakes
Inconsistent ordering of paired bars
Missing legend for the two series
Mixing units or scales between the two series
History
A two-group special case of the grouped bar chart, common in benchmarking reports.
Accessibility notes
Provide a data table as alternative. Use sufficient color contrast between pairs.
Related reading
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Drop your CSV. You'll get a Paired Bar Chart plus four alternatives - ranked by which one actually fits your data best.