Example 1
Favourite fruit (a class survey)
The classic first bar graph: one category per bar, counts on the value axis. Sorted largest first, the ranking reads at a glance.
Open and edit this graphOnline List Maker › Bar graph maker › Bar graph examples
Bar graph examples
Eight bar graphs, each showing one decision: when to sort, when to turn the bars sideways, when to use two colours, a stack, or a histogram. Open any of them in the maker and swap in your own numbers.
All the numbers on this page are made up for illustration.
Example 2
Books read each month
Months have a natural order, so they stay in it. Vertical columns read left to right like a calendar.
Open and edit this graphExample 3
How students get to school
Long labels, so the bars run sideways. Each label gets a full line instead of being tilted.
Open and edit this graphExample 4
Plant growth with and without sunlight
A science-fair double bar graph: two conditions side by side for each week, with a key.
Open and edit this graphExample 5
Temperature above and below freezing
Bar graphs handle negative numbers: bars below zero hang down from the baseline.
Open and edit this graphExample 6
Money in and money out
A stacked bar shows the total spent each month and what it was spent on.
Open and edit this graphExample 7
Survey answers by grade (100% stacked)
The grades are different sizes, so each bar is scaled to 100% to compare the share answering yes.
Open and edit this graphExample 8
Test scores (a histogram)
A list of 30 scores isn’t categories, so it becomes a histogram: bars touch, and each covers a range of scores.
Open and edit this graphWhat makes a good bar graph
- A title that says what was measured, of whom and when.
- Both axes titled, with units (dollars, cm, students).
- A value axis that starts at zero, always (here’s why).
- Bars sorted by size unless the categories have their own order, like months or grades.
- One colour, unless a colour means something (two groups, parts of a total).
- Horizontal bars when the labels are long.