Grouped and Stacked Bar Charts

When you need to compare multiple data series across categories, grouped and stacked bar charts are your tools of choice.

Grouped Bar Charts

Place bars side by side to compare series:

Three or More Groups

Extend the pattern for multiple series:

Stacked Bar Charts

Show composition of totals:

100% Stacked Bar Chart

Show proportions instead of absolute values:

Horizontal Grouped Bars

Diverging Stacked Bars

Show positive and negative contributions:

Adding Totals to Stacked Bars

Grouped vs Stacked Comparison

Practice: Revenue Breakdown Chart

Key Takeaways

• Grouped bars compare individual values across categories
• Stacked bars show composition and totals
• Calculate bar positions using np.arange() and offsets for grouping
• Use the bottom parameter for stacking
• 100% stacked bars show proportional composition
• Diverging stacked bars show positive/negative contributions
• Add totals on top of stacked bars for quick reference
• Choose grouped vs stacked based on what comparison you want to emphasize

In the next lesson, we'll explore histograms for visualizing data distributions.