When should I use a stacked bar chart?

Use a stacked bar chart when the parts add up to a meaningful total and you want readers to see both: the total per category and roughly how it splits. If comparing the parts matters more than the total, use a double (grouped) bar graph.

What is a 100% stacked bar chart?

A 100% stacked bar makes every bar the same height and shows each part as a percentage of its own bar. It compares shares across categories, for example what share of each grade owns a phone, but hides the totals.

Can a stacked bar chart show negative numbers?

Yes: positive parts stack up from zero and negative parts stack down below it. A 100% stacked bar can’t, because a share of a whole can’t be negative.

Stacked Bar Chart Maker

Each bar shows a total and the parts it’s made of. Switch to 100% to compare shares instead of amounts. Free, no sign-up.

Start from

Graph title

Category axis title

Value axis title

Paste from a spreadsheet or CSV

Pasted data

First column: the labels. Each further column is a series (more than one makes a double or stacked bar graph). Copy cells straight from Excel or Google Sheets, or paste CSV. A header row names the series. You can also paste into any cell of the table.

Style

Direction

Order

Bar colours

Colour

Bar height

Background

Value labels Gridlines

Stacked or side by side?

A stacked bar answers two questions at once: how big is each total, and roughly what is it made of? The catch is that only the bottom part sits on the baseline, so it’s the only part readers can compare accurately across bars. The parts above it float at different heights.

So put the part that matters most at the bottom (the first series), keep it to about three or four parts, and if comparing the parts is the point, switch to Double to stand them side by side.

Amounts or percentages?

Stacked shows amounts: the bar’s height is the total. 100% stretches every bar to the same height and shows each part as a share of its own bar, with the percentages rounded so each bar adds up to exactly 100%. Use it when the groups are different sizes and you want to compare proportions, such as survey answers by grade.