Pie Chart

A pie chart is a circular graphic divided into slices, where each slice represents a category and its size is proportional to that category’s share of the whole. The full circle always represents 100% of the total.

Pie charts excel at showcasing simple part-to-whole relationships.

An example of an embedded pie chart

Creating an Effective Pie Chart

Recommended data types for each axis:

X-Axis Categorical data (the category labels)
Y-Axis Numerical values (the values that determine each slice’s size)

Description

Slices - each slice represents one category; its area and arc length are proportional to its value
Circle - the complete circle represents the total of all values combined
Labels - identify each category and typically display its percentage or absolute value
Colors - each slice uses a distinct color to differentiate categories

When to Use a Pie Chart

Show composition of a whole - communicate how a total is split across a small number of categories
Highlight a dominant category - when one slice is much larger than the others, a pie makes the dominance immediately visible
Communicate simple proportions - for presentations and reports where one clear takeaway is more important than precise comparison

When to Avoid a Pie Chart

Many categories - more than 5–6 slices creates a cluttered chart; use a bar chart instead
Similar slice sizes - human perception of angles is poor; when slices are close in size, a bar chart makes differences clearer
Changes over time - use a line chart or stacked bar chart when tracking how proportions shift across time periods
Negative values - pie charts cannot encode negative values

Variants

Donut Chart

A donut chart is a pie chart with a hollow center. The empty center can hold a summary value or label. Functionally identical to a pie chart, donuts are often perceived as less cluttered because the removed center reduces the emphasis on angular area.

Semi-Circle Pie Chart

A semi-circle pie chart uses only the top half of the circle. This variant can fit more comfortably in dashboards with limited vertical space while still communicating proportional relationships.