Beginnercomposition
Pie Chart
Show part-to-whole relationships as proportional slices of a circle.
Quick Facts
Complexity
beginner
Category
composition
Pie Chart · Example Data
When to use a Pie Chart
- Showing 2–5 parts that sum to a meaningful whole
- When one or two categories dominate (over 50%)
- Part-to-whole communication for general audiences
- Market share visualization where a single player leads
About the Pie Chart
A pie chart divides a circle into proportional slices, where each slice represents a category's share of the total. It is one of the most recognizable charts but also one of the most misused.
Pie charts work well when you have 2–5 categories, one or two slices are dominant, and the audience needs to quickly grasp part-to-whole relationships. When precision matters or there are many categories of similar size, a bar chart is almost always better.