Top Chart Types

Compare values

Show value relationships

Nominal data

Categorical data

Use the buttons below to find the best chart type for your data needs:

This is a non-exhaustive guide to get you started.Explore data viz types, ensuring suitability for the audience and data type

Large datasets

Compare volumes

Show trends & patterns

Small datasets

Compare values

Show value relationships

Nominal data

Categorical data

Large datasets

Compare volumes

Show trends & patterns

Small datasets

Use the buttons below to find the best chart type for your data needs:

This is a non-exhaustive guide to get you started.Explore data viz types, ensuring suitability for the audience and data type

Compare values

Show value relationships

Nominal data

Categorical data

Large datasets

Compare volumes

Show trends & patterns

Small datasets

Use the buttons below to find the best chart type for your data needs:

This is a non-exhaustive guide to get you started.Explore data viz types, ensuring suitability for the audience and data type

Compare values

Show value relationships

Nominal data

Categorical data

Large datasets

Compare volumes

Show trends & patterns

Small datasets

Use the buttons below to find the best chart type for your data needs:

This is a non-exhaustive guide to get you started.Explore data viz types, ensuring suitability for the audience and data type

Compare values

Show value relationships

Nominal data

Categorical data

Large datasets

Compare volumes

Show trends & patterns

Small datasets

Use the buttons below to find the best chart type for your data needs:

This is a non-exhaustive guide to get you started.Explore data viz types, ensuring suitability for the audience and data type

Compare values

Show value relationships

Nominal data

Categorical data

Large datasets

Compare volumes

Show trends & patterns

Small datasets

for precise comparison

for relative comparison

Use the buttons below to find the best chart type for your data needs:

This is a non-exhaustive guide to get you started.Explore data viz types, ensuring suitability for the audience and data type

Compare values

Show value relationships

Nominal data

Categorical data

Large datasets

Compare volumes

Show trends & patterns

Small datasets

Use the buttons below to find the best chart type for your data needs:

This is a non-exhaustive guide to get you started.Explore data viz types, ensuring suitability for the audience and data type

Compare values

Show value relationships

Nominal data

Categorical data

Large datasets

Compare volumes

Show trends & patterns

Small datasets

for discrete data

for continuous data

Use the buttons below to find the best chart type for your data needs:

This is a non-exhaustive guide to get you started.Explore data viz types, ensuring suitability for the audience and data type

Compare values

Show value relationships

Nominal data

Categorical data

Large datasets

Compare volumes

Show trends & patterns

Small datasets

for 5 or more categories

for less than 5 categories

Use the buttons below to find the best chart type for your data needs:

This is a non-exhaustive guide to get you started.Explore data viz types, ensuring suitability for the audience and data type

The top seven used chart types

Click the ? icons to find out when to use and when to avoid each chart type.

Click here for chart selection tips.

1. You want to compare independent values.
2. You want to show distribution or relation.

When to use

You have a small dataset.

When to avoid

Bubblechart

1. You're comparing parts of a bigger set of data, highlighting different categories or showing change over time.
2. You have long categories label - it offers more space.
3. You want to illustrate both positive and negative values in the dataset.

When to use

1. You’re using multiple data points.
2. You have many categories, avoid overloading your graph. Your graph shouldn’t have more than 10 bars.

When to avoid

Barchart

1. You want to show part-to-whole relations.
2. You want to portray the volume of your data and not just the relation to time.

When to use

It can’t be used with discrete data.

When to avoid

Areachart

1. You want to compare values with different measurements.
2. The values are different in range.

When to use

You want to display more than 2-3 types of graphs. In that case, it’s better to have separate graphs to make it easier to read and understand.

When to avoid

Combinedchart

1. You have a continuous dataset that changes over time.
2. Your dataset is too big for a bar chart.
3. You want to display multiple series for the same timeline.
4. You want to visualise trends instead of exact values.

When to use

If you have a small dataset - line charts work better with bigger datasets - use a bar chart instead.

When to avoid

Linechart

Chart selection tips

1. Categorical data? Use a pie chart if you have less than five categories, otherwise use a bar chart.
2. Nominal data? Use bar charts or histograms if your data is discrete, or line/area charts if it's continuous.
3. Showing the relationship between values in your dataset? Use a scatter plot, bubble chart or line charts.
4. Comparing values? Use a pie chart for relative comparison or bar charts for precise comparison.
5. Comparing volumes? Use an area chart or a bubble chart.
6. Showing trends and patterns in your data? Use a line chart, bar chart or scatter plot.

1. You want to show relative proportions and percentages of a whole dataset.
2. Best used with small datasets - also applies to donut charts.
3. When comparing the effect of ONE factor on different categories.
4. You have up to six categories.
5. Your data is nominal and not ordinal.

When to use

1. You have a big dataset.
2. You want to make a precise or absolute comparison between values.

When to avoid

Piechart

1. You want to show correlation and clustering in big datasets.
2. Your dataset contains points that have a pair of values.
3. If the order of points in the dataset isn't essential.

When to use

1. You have a small dataset.
2. The values in your dataset are not correlated.

When to avoid

Scatterplot