Excel Stacked Area Chart (Tables of Contents)
Stacked Area Chart
A stacked bar chart is a variant of the bar chart. A standard bar chart compares individual data points with each other. We use an excel stacked area chart to show data with filled color. It is like line chart with one difference in a stacked chart – the area below the line are filled area (with color).
A stacked area chart is the extension of a basic area chart of excel to display the evolution of the data of different groups on the same graphic.
Use a stacked area chart to display the contribution of each data to a total. Stacked bar charts in excel easily allow users to see changes in a series of data and where they represented in the overall area of a chart. For example, the increases or decreases of the value of investments in a stock portfolio over time is often represented as a stacked bar chart.
A variation of the stacked bar chart is the 100% stacked bar chart. In this form, each bar is the same height or length, and the sections are shown as percentages of the bar rather than as absolute values.
It can be used to represent: Ranking, Distribution, Comparisons, Part-to-whole, etc.
A Stacked Column excel have below component:
- The title (Describes the column)
- X-axis(For which the data are to be charted)
- Y-axis (Intervals lowest and highest value)
- Bars (Sum of the values)
- Legend (Category of the dataset)
Data in a stacked area chart is plotted on the x-axis and y-axis; data values are plotted using data points that are connected using line segments. To showcase this magnitude, the area between the line segments and the axes is highlighted by filling it with color. Area charts are primarily used when the magnitude of the trend is to be communicated (rather than individual data values).
How to Make Excel Stacked Area Chart?
Excel Stacked Area Chart is very simple and easy to use. Let us now see how to make Excel Stacked Area Chart with the help of some examples.
Example #1
Steps to make a stacked area chart in Excel:
- Select the entire dataset.
- Click the Insert tab.
- In the Chart group, click on the Area Chart icon. Click on Stacked Area under 2-D Area icon.
- This will give you an area chart as shown below.
- Right click on Legend and select Format Legend.
- Go to Legend Options and select Bottom.
- After that our Chart looks like this.
- For Adding chart title. We have to click on Layout > Chart Title > Above Chart.
- Our Final Chart looks like this.
In a quick glance at this chart, it is easy to summarize the following:
- Product 1: sales are less in comparison to the other quarter’s sales.
- Q2: sales slightly dip than the other quarter’s sales.
- Q3: sales show a slight dip from the Q1 sales and Q3 sales show an increase from the Q2 and Q4 sales.
- Q3: for product 4 sales show significant growth over the other quarter’s sales.
- Q4: Product 5 sales show a slight increase for a product the Q3 sales, sales show a comparatively higher increase.
Example #2
Steps to make a stacked area in Excel:
- Select the entire dataset.
- Click the Insert tab.
- In the Chart group, click on the Area Chart icon. Click on the 3-D Area icon.
- This will give you an area chart as shown below.
- After adding chart title and adjustment of legend as we have discussed in the previous example our chart will look like this.
Note: We can change the graph background color from the Design section.
There is an option to create a chart in 2D and 3D variations. Try them out and choose the one that presents your data in the easiest and clearest style. So that it will be easy to be understood data from chart with putting less effort.
Information in an area chart is plotted on the x- and y-axis; data values are plotted using data points that are connected using line segments. Area charts are primarily used when the magnitude of the trend is to be communicated (rather than individual data values). To showcase this magnitude, the area between the line segments and the axes is highlighted by filling it with color.
Before we talk about the strengths and limitations of an area chart, we’ll look at the variants of this chart; this will come in handy when we discuss the strengths and limitations.
The area chart can be visualized in two ways:
- Data plots overlapping each other.
- Data plots stacked on top of each other.
Where we can use Excel Stacked Area Chart?
- Re-presentation can be read at a glance.
- Stacked Area Graphs work best when we have multiple data series.
- When we need to point out each data series from the total.
- The entire graph represents the total of all the data plotted.
- Can show part to whole changes over time.
- Stacked Area Graphs also use the areas to convey whole numbers.
- Useful for comparing multiple variables changing over an interval.
- 100% shows how the constituent parts of a whole have changed over time.
- Each area of color represents one part of the whole.
- Best for comparing the sub-segments of results.
Limitation
- Stacked are chart will not work for negative values.
- It may be drawn to the upward and downward slopes of the colored area, but this can be misleading.
- Difficult to add data labels since there is less white space available.
- Area charts can imply more data than available.
- The shapes of the middle series – those not attached to a bottom or top baseline – will be influenced by the values above and below, as well their own.
- In the case of deep drive Analysis, we cannot go for the excel.
- If there is huge data for different sets then it will be very complex to understand the chart in a stacked area chart.
Things to Remember About Excel Stacked Area Chart
This is generally used in situations when we need to display some changes in time. Stacked charts help to compare the quantitative values each series brings to the whole category. The distinctive feature of an area chart is the filling done between the line segments and the x-axis to emphasize the magnitude. When rendered with stacked data plots, the area chart serves well for a part-to-whole analysis of each category. In the case of the chart with overlapped data plots, more the number of categories, more the overlapping, and consequently, lesser the visibility.
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