Stacked bar charts are a valuable tool in data visualization, allowing for clear and concise presentation of different components that contribute to a whole.
These charts are particularly useful when you want to show changes within a category over time or to compare several categories.
Choosing the correct type of chart is essential to ensure that data is presented clearly and accurately, and stacked bar charts can be the best choice in many cases.
Read on to learn more about the potential of this tool!
Understanding Stacked Bar Charts
A stacked bar chart is a type of bar chart in which the values of different categories are stacked on top of each other, rather than being presented side by side.
Each bar represents a total, and each stacked segment represents a part of that total in different categories.
Stacked bar charts are useful for showing the contribution of different components to a whole and how this contribution changes over time or between different categories.
When to Use Stacked Bar Charts? But when exactly is it appropriate to use a stacked bar chart?
Let’s explore some situations where this type of chart can be useful:
1 Comparison of contributions
A stacked bar chart can be used to compare the contribution of different subcategories to a whole. For example, if you are analyzing the sales of a company, you can create a stacked bar chart to show the contribution of each department to total sales.
2 Comparison of trends
This type of chart is also useful for showing trends over time. For example, if you are analyzing the growth of a company’s sales over the years, you can create a stacked bar chart to show how the contribution of each department has changed over time.
3 Comparison of categories
A stacked bar chart can also be used to compare different categories. For example, if you are analyzing the sales of several companies in a sector, you can create a stacked bar chart to compare the contribution of each company to total sector sales.
4 Highlighting differences
A stacked bar chart can also be used to highlight differences between subcategories. For example, if you are analyzing the sales of a product in different regions, you can create a stacked bar chart to show how the contribution of each region to total sales differs.
5 Showing proportions
A stacked bar chart can be used to show proportions of a whole. For example, if you are analyzing the racial composition of a population, you can create a stacked bar chart to show the proportion of each race relative to the total population.
What are the types of Stacked Bar Charts?
There are several types of stacked bar charts, and the choice depends on the data you want to visualize and the message you want to convey. Here are some of the most common types of stacked bar charts:
Vertical Stacked Bar Chart
In this type of chart, the bars are presented vertically, stacking the subdivisions of the categories on top of each other.
Horizontal Stacked Bar Chart
The horizontal stacked bar chart is the opposite of the vertical, with the bars stacked horizontally. This type of chart is useful when the category labels are long and vertical display makes it difficult to read.
100% Stacked Bar Chart
This type of stacked bar chart is used when you want to show the proportion of each subcategory relative to the whole. Each bar has the same height and subdivisions are stacked to represent the proportion of each subcategory.
Why is it advantageous to use Stacked Bar Charts?
Stacked bar charts have several advantages over other forms of data visualization.
One of the main advantages is that they allow for easy comparison of categories, as well as subdivisions within each category. This is particularly useful when comparing the contribution of different components to a whole.
In addition, stacked bar charts are visually appealing and catch the audience’s attention. They are easy to read and interpret, making them a popular choice for presentations and reports.
In summary, stacked bar charts are a useful tool for presenting data in a clear and concise manner.
They can help improve decision-making by allowing for better understanding of the data and more effective presentation of information.
How to Create Charts and Reports with Qlik Sense?
You probably won’t be surprised to know that you can create a stacked bar chart in Excel.
After all, the program offers a variety of important features.
However, Excel is a manual tool – even though many automations can be done – and requires a high level of knowledge and a lot of time to generate a professional final document.
Therefore, if the idea is to create complete and customized charts, reports, and presentations with just a few clicks and with great agility, Qlik Sense is the best alternative for your company!
The data management system is super intuitive and does not require the user to understand programming or master Excel formulas to provide materials with absolute professionalism.
Just select all the necessary information and plot them quickly using the most suitable template.
Therefore, contact Cluster right now and create a stacked chart and so many other presentations quickly and efficiently!
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