Doughnut Chart
A ring-shaped variation of the pie chart with a hollow center, offering a cleaner look and space for summary data.
What is a doughnut chart?
A doughnut chart is a pie chart with a hole in the center. Like a pie chart, each arc represents a proportion of the whole. The center cutout reduces the emphasis on area comparison and creates space for a label, total value, or icon.
Doughnut charts have become the preferred alternative to pie charts in modern dashboards. The hollow center looks cleaner, and research suggests people read arc length (the outer ring) more accurately than area (filled pie slices). Multiple doughnut rings can also be nested to compare two related breakdowns.
When to use a doughnut chart
- Same use cases as a pie chart but with a more modern aesthetic
- When you want to display a total or summary value in the center
- Dashboard KPIs that show progress toward a target (single-value doughnut)
- Comparing two related breakdowns using nested rings
- When space is limited and you need a compact part-to-whole visualization
Best practices
- Same rules as pie charts: 6 or fewer slices, order by size
- Use the center space for a total, percentage, or descriptive label
- Keep the cutout ratio consistent across a dashboard (typically 50-70%)
- Avoid nesting more than 2 rings; it becomes hard to read
- Add percentage labels on or near each arc segment
Example
A monthly expenses breakdown showing how spending is distributed across major categories.
Make this in Claude
With ChartPane installed, just describe what you want:
Show my monthly expenses as a doughnut chart: Rent $1800, Food $650, Transport $320, Utilities $240, Entertainment $180