Composition
Stacked Bar Chart
Bars divided into colored segments showing composition per category.
Revenue by Region
Quarterly breakdown
View data (12 rows)
| Quarter | Revenue | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 40 | North |
| Q1 | 30 | South |
| Q1 | 22 | West |
| Q2 | 45 | North |
| Q2 | 35 | South |
| Q2 | 28 | West |
| Q3 | 50 | North |
| Q3 | 38 | South |
| Q3 | 33 | West |
| Q4 | 55 | North |
| Q4 | 42 | South |
| Q4 | 36 | West |
Use a stacked bar chart when…
- Showing composition AND total
- Comparing totals with breakdowns
- 2-5 sub-categories
Avoid when…
- When comparing sub-category sizes across groups (segments share no baseline)
- Many sub-categories (>5)
Data it needs
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Min Rows | 4 |
| Min Columns | 3 |
| Column Types | stringstringnumber |
Visual anatomy
Marks
rectangle
Channels
position-xlength-ycolor-hue (composition)
Axes
x-categoricaly-quantitative
Guiding principles
Consider instead
Common mistakes
Too many segments
Not starting at zero
Hard-to-read middle segments
History
Standardized in Willard Brinton's Graphic Methods for Presenting Facts (1914) as a multi-series extension of Playfair's bar chart.
Accessibility notes
Use patterns alongside color. Provide exact values in tooltip or table.
Related reading
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