What is a pie chart?

A pie chart represents each category's share of the whole as a slice, with the entire circle taken as 100%. It's the standard way to show proportions, market share, and component breakdowns. Because it's intuitive and reads at a glance, it shows up everywhere from board reports to news articles.

For proportions, use a pie chart

Best when you want to show "what percentage of the whole each part represents." Reserve it for data that sums to 100%.

When to use it

Market share

Line up competitor shares to show your own position.

Budget or spending breakdown

Show where the money is going at a glance.

Survey response distribution

Show the spread of yes/no or multiple-choice answers.

How you spend your time

Visualize the breakdown of a typical day or week.

Tips for making one well

1. Limit yourself to about five categories

Slices that get too small become unreadable. Group small categories into "Other" and aim for five or fewer visible slices.

2. Sort largest first

Convention is to start at 12 o'clock and go clockwise largest to smallest, with "Other" placed last.

3. Use it only when data sums to 100%

A pie chart shows "share of the whole." Don't use it for data that doesn't sum to 100% — reach for a bar chart instead.

4. Avoid 3D pie charts

3D effects make the front slices look larger than they are, breaking accurate comparison. Stick with flat 2D.

FAQ

Use a pie chart for proportions (what percentage of the whole). Use a bar chart for comparing absolute values.

Functionally almost the same. The doughnut chart places a total or key metric in the empty center and has a more modern look.

Yes — percentages are shown on every slice by default. Use "Percent format" to switch decimal places (0/1/2), and "Legend values" to show value, percent, or both alongside the legend.

Yes — pie charts get hard to read with many slices. Group everything outside the top 5 into "Other," or use a bar chart instead.

Make a Pie Chart