Specialized
Waterfall Chart
Shows how an initial value is affected by sequential positive and negative changes.
P&L Waterfall
From revenue to net income
View data (6 rows)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Revenue | 500 |
| COGS | -200 |
| Gross Profit | 300 |
| OpEx | -120 |
| Tax | -45 |
| Net Income | 135 |
Use a waterfall chart when…
- Financial statements (P&L walkthrough)
- Explaining variance from budget
- Sequential gain/loss breakdown
Avoid when…
- Non-sequential data
- When total matters more than steps
Data it needs
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Min Rows | 4 |
| Min Columns | 2 |
| Column Types | stringnumber |
| Notes | Values can be positive or negative. |
Visual anatomy
Marks
rectangleline
Channels
position-ylengthcolor (up/down/total)
Axes
x-categoricaly-quantitative
Guiding principles
Consider instead
Common mistakes
Not showing connecting lines between bars
Unclear color coding for positive/negative
History
Attributed to McKinsey & Company; popularized in management consulting in the 1990s.
Accessibility notes
Use green/red with labels 'increase'/'decrease'. Provide running total.
Related reading
Got data? Let's see what works.
Drop your CSV. You'll get a Waterfall Chart plus four alternatives - ranked by which one actually fits your data best.