Stacked Chart
Show both individual and total values by stacking multiple datasets on top of each other.
What is a stacked chart?
A stacked chart places multiple data series on top of each other within the same bar or area. Each segment shows one component, and the total height or area represents the sum. This lets you see both the overall total and the individual contributions in a single view.
Stacking works with both bar charts and area charts. Stacked bar charts are more common for comparing category totals, while stacked area charts are used to show how composition changes over time. A 100% stacked variant normalizes everything to percentages, making it easy to compare proportions even when totals differ.
When to use a stacked chart
- Showing how parts contribute to a total (revenue by channel, budget by department)
- Comparing totals across categories while seeing the breakdown
- Tracking how composition changes over time (traffic sources by month)
- When the total matters as much as individual components
- Using 100% stacked to compare proportions when absolute values vary widely
Best practices
- Limit to 3-5 stacked segments; more becomes hard to read
- Put the most important or largest segment at the bottom
- Use consistent colors across time periods for the same category
- Add data labels or tooltips so exact values are accessible
- Consider a grouped bar chart instead if comparing individual segment values is more important than totals
- Use 100% stacked when the story is about proportion, not absolute values
Example
Quarterly revenue broken down by sales channel, showing both individual channel performance and total growth.
Make this in Claude
With ChartPane installed, just describe what you want:
Show quarterly revenue by channel as a stacked bar chart: Direct Sales (120k, 150k, 180k, 220k), Online Store (80k, 110k, 140k, 170k), Partners (40k, 60k, 80k, 100k)