Intermediatetrends
Stacked Area Chart
Show how multiple series contribute to a changing total over time.
Quick Facts
Complexity
intermediate
Category
trends
Stacked Area Chart · Example Data
When to use a Stacked Area Chart
- Showing total trend and segment composition simultaneously
- When the summed total is meaningful (e.g., total traffic by source)
- A small number of non-overlapping segments (2–5)
About the Stacked Area Chart
A stacked area chart layers series on top of each other, with the top line representing the total. Each band shows the contribution of a segment to the whole over time. This makes it easy to see both total trend and relative composition.
However, it is hard to compare the middle layers because they float on a non-zero baseline. A 100% stacked area chart (normalized) resolves this when relative proportions matter more than absolute values.