Plots data in horizontal bars by category.
Make comparisons between discrete categories.
2D and 3D options are available.
Data Format
- x-axis: Categories (e.g. time series)
- Categories are distributed evenly along the vertical axis.
- Ideal for data with longer category names.
- Becomes visually complex as more categories are added.
- y-axis: Data Series (e.g. unemployment rates as % of total labor force)
- Series are distributed evenly along the horizontal axis.
- Bar length shows scale of categories.
- Works well with time (e.g. quarterly results) or scales (e.g. Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly disagree)
- Becomes visually complex as more series are added.
- Sort bars from largest to smallest where valid to make chart easier to read.
- Reordering the bars can change interpretation.
- Chart handles positive and negative values.
- Apply data labels judiciously, either inside or outside of the bars.
| Series 1 | Series 2 | Series 3 | Series 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | # | # | # | # |
| Category 2 | # | # | # | # |
| Category 3 | # | # | # | # |
| Category 4 | # | # | # | # |
| Category 5 | # | # | # | # |
Try it now!
- Select a region using the dropdown list to view the 5 countries with the highest unemployment rates.
- Note how the chart and title adjust to reflect the different region and values.
- This chart was built using data validation lists, named ranges, conditional statements and the COUNTIF, IF, IFERROR, MATCH, OFFSET and RANK functions.
Related Column and Bar Charts
- Column or Bar
- Clustered Column
- Stacked Column or Stacked Bar
- 100% Stacked Column or 100% Stacked Bar