Create Pie chart

Everything you need to know to create the chart you want.

Overview

Pie charts display parts of a whole as slices around a circle. They’re best for showing simple composition where there are few categories and a clear story.

When to use it

  • Illustrating percentage breakdowns with ≀5 slices.

  • Highlighting a dominant slice versus the rest.

  • Presenting categorical distribution in executive summaries.

Avoid pie charts for detailed comparisons, many categories, or values that don’t sum to a meaningful whole. Consider bar or stacked charts instead.

Data requirements

  • One series of positive values.

  • Categories should represent mutually exclusive segments.

  • Ideally, values sum to 100% (but not strictly required).

Style options available

Group
Control
Input type
Options
Description

Colors

Color palette

palette

β€”

Palette applied to series; sets the default colours for the chart.

General β†’ Pie

Start angle, deg

number

β€”

Angle where circular charts begin drawing, in degrees.

General β†’ Pie

End angle, deg

number

β€”

Angle at which circular charts (pie, donut, gauge) stop drawing, measured in degrees.

General β†’ Pie

Margin between slices

number

β€”

Gap between adjacent pie or donut slices.

General β†’ Pie

Enable sorting

boolean

β€”

Automatically sorts points by value before plotting.

General β†’ Data labels

Show data labels

boolean

β€”

Shows numeric labels directly on data points.

General β†’ Data labels

Distance from pie, %

text

β€”

How far a slice is pulled out from the centre as a percentage of radius.

General β†’ Data labels

Show name of series

boolean

β€”

Shows series names alongside values (used in waterfall totals).

General β†’ Data labels

Allow labels to overlap

boolean

β€”

Allows labels to render even if they collide instead of hiding them automatically.

General β†’ Data labels

Font name

text

β€”

Font family used for titles, labels, or legend text.

General β†’ Data labels

Font style

text

β€”

Font weight or style (e.g., bold, italic).

General β†’ Data labels

Font size

number

β€”

Font size in pixels for the selected text element.

General β†’ Data labels

Font color

color

β€”

Colour of the text shown for this element.

Legend β†’ Main

Show legend

boolean

β€”

Shows or hides the legend box.

Legend β†’ Main

Horizontal align

select

left, center, right

Horizontal alignment for the legend box (left, centre, right).

Legend β†’ Main

Vertical align

select

top, middle, bottom

Vertical alignment for the legend box (top, middle, bottom).

Legend β†’ Main

Layout

select

horizontal, vertical, proximate

Orientation of the legend items (horizontal row, vertical column, or proximate).

Legend β†’ Additional

Margin for legend

number

β€”

Outer margin around the legend box.

Legend β†’ Additional

Margin top for items

number

β€”

Top padding inside the legend between items.

Legend β†’ Additional

Margin bottom for items

number

β€”

Bottom padding inside the legend between items.

Legend β†’ Additional

Distance between items

number

β€”

Horizontal spacing between legend entries.

Legend β†’ Style

Font name

text

β€”

Font family used for titles, labels, or legend text.

Legend β†’ Style

Font style

text

β€”

Font weight or style (e.g., bold, italic).

Legend β†’ Style

Font size

number

β€”

Font size in pixels for the selected text element.

Legend β†’ Style

Font color

color

β€”

Colour of the text shown for this element.

Title β†’ Chart title

Font name

text

β€”

Font family used for titles, labels, or legend text.

Title β†’ Chart title

Font style

text

β€”

Font weight or style (e.g., bold, italic).

Title β†’ Chart title

Font size

number

β€”

Font size in pixels for the selected text element.

Title β†’ Chart title

Font color

color

β€”

Colour of the text shown for this element.

Title β†’ Chart title

Margin bottom

number

β€”

Extra space below chart titles or subtitles in pixels.

Title β†’ Chart subtitle

Font name

text

β€”

Font family used for titles, labels, or legend text.

Title β†’ Chart subtitle

Font style

text

β€”

Font weight or style (e.g., bold, italic).

Title β†’ Chart subtitle

Font size

number

β€”

Font size in pixels for the selected text element.

Title β†’ Chart subtitle

Font color

color

β€”

Colour of the text shown for this element.

🍰 Tip: Sort slices from largest to smallest (clockwise) so the story is easy to grasp at a glance.

Have problems or want to improve this chart type?

Ping us via [email protected].

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