Can I show proportions if the totals differ?
Use the 100% stacked bar to normalise each category to 100% so the proportions show regardless of their absolute size.
What Is a Stacked Bar Chart?
A stacked bar chart shows both the total value of a category and the contribution of each component inside that total.
Use it when people need to see the whole and the parts together.
Start With the Raw Data
Stacked bars usually start with a category and several contributing measures:
| Category | New Sales | Renewals | Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | R1,200 | R900 | R500 |
| Q2 | R1,500 | R1,000 | R650 |
| Q3 | R1,650 | R1,100 | R720 |
Instead of showing separate bars for each component, the chart stacks them into one bar per category, making total size and segment contribution visible at the same time.
What This Chart Helps You See
Parts of a total
Lead source mix
Expense mix
Common Ways to Use a Stacked Bar Chart
- Sales totals split into new business, renewals, and services.
- Marketing leads split by source.
- Expense totals split by cost center.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Use the Live Example Below
Edit any segment value to see both the total bar length and the internal segment mix change.
See the Composition of Each Category
Stacked bars show how multiple series add up to a total per category. This is ideal when you need to compare both totals and composition.
Live Demo: Editable Series Data
Instructions: Update values to see stacked totals change.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When to Use Stacked Bars
- When composition and total matter together.
- When each category has the same series.
- When you have 2-4 series to keep it readable.