Pie Chart Maker

How to make a pie chart

1. Copy the category column (and a value column if needed) together with the header.
2. Click the column header (A) in the data table and paste - the first line becomes the column name. You can also open a CSV or Excel file.
3. Choose the category column, and leave the value column at '(Count)' or pick a numeric column to sum.
4. Press Draw and check the percentage of each slice and the note on the largest share. Right-click a slice to change its color.

What is a pie chart?

A pie chart treats the whole as 100% and shows the share of each category as the size of a slice of a circle. It works best for showing the make-up of a few categories at a glance.

Slices are placed from the largest share, starting at 3 o'clock and going counterclockwise. The percentage (one decimal place) is written inside each slice and the category name outside.

Counting vs. summing

With the value column at '(Count)', the shares come from how often each category appears in the category column. Choose a numeric column to use the per-category sum of that column instead (blank or non-numeric cells are skipped).

How to read a pie chart

• When the largest slice is 50% or more, the automatic interpretation notes that it accounts for more than half and clearly dominates.
• With many categories or similar shares, slice sizes are hard to compare - a bar chart or Pareto chart is easier to read.
• Shares by count and by amount can differ, so check that the chart uses the basis that fits your purpose.

Frequently asked questions

Other chart tools