How to Read a 100% Stacked Bar Chart

A 100% stacked bar chart is a graph that shows the relative percentages of each value for each category. In other words, it shows how each category contributes to the total and what percentage each represents.

This type of graph helps compare proportions within each category. For example, if you’re looking at data on internet usage, you might want to compare the percentage of users who access the internet via desktop, mobile, or tablet. Or, if you’re analyzing sales data, you might want to compare the percentage of sales that come from each region.

This guide will show you how to read a 100% stacked bar chart to analyze and compare data effectively.

To read a 100% stacked bar chart, start by looking at the categories listed on the x-axis. Then, look at the bars and see how they are divided into segments. Each segment represents a different value within that category. The height of the bar corresponds to the total value for that category, while the width of each segment is determined by its percentage of the total.

For example, let’s look at North America’s internet usage data. The x-axis would list Canada and the United States, while the y-axis would list percentages from 0% to 100%. The bars would be divided into segments representing desktop, mobile, and tablet users. The height of each bar would correspond to the percentage of people in that country who use the internet (e.g., 80% for Canada and 75% for the United States). The widths of each segment would be determined by their respective percentages (e.g., 40% for desktop users in Canada and 30% for mobile users in Canada).

100% stacked bar charts are easy to create in Excel or Google Sheets. Simply create your data set, select your data, and choose a 100% stacked bar chart from the Insert menu.