Create Your Own Doughnut Chart

How To Make Doughnut Charts

Make beautiful data visualizations with our free Doughnut chart maker tool. It’s the perfect tool for creating a quick graph right before a meeting.

What Is  A Doughnut Chart?

A Doughnut chart demonstrates the distribution of a total quantity between levels of a categorical variable as a circle with radial slices. A single slice of the circle represents each categorical value. The size of each slice (both in terms of area and arc length) reveals how much of the total each category level occupies.

Visualization Tools

Despite their restricted application, Doughnut charts can be produced using most visualization tools. Doughnut charts are still typical charts that most people can understand, even though they are no longer the preferred choice for most visualization purposes. Doughnut charts are still excellent for the following tasks: selling a part-to-whole comparison right away.

Understanding the Suitability of Doughnut Charts for Data Visualization

A Doughnut chart is a type of chart used to display data in a circular format, similar to a pie chart. It is appropriate in certain situations when you want to represent parts of a whole and emphasize the contribution of individual categories while maintaining the overall context. Here are some scenarios where a Doughnut chart might be appropriate:

1. Showing proportions: Doughnut charts are useful when you want to visualize the proportions of different categories in relation to the whole. Each segment of the doughnut represents a category, and the size of the segment corresponds to its proportion.
2. Limited number of categories: Doughnut charts work best when you have a small number of categories, typically less than six or seven. Beyond that, the chart can become cluttered and difficult to interpret.
3. Comparative analysis: Doughnut charts can be helpful when you want to compare multiple datasets or categories side by side. Using multiple rings in the doughnut, you can display data from different periods or compare groups.
4. Highlighting a single category: If you want to emphasize a specific category within a larger context, a Doughnut chart can be effective. By increasing the size of the segment representing the category of interest, you draw attention to its significance.
5. Limited data points: If you have a small number of data points or values to represent, a Doughnut chart can be a compact and visually appealing option. It utilizes the circular layout efficiently.

However, it's worth noting that Doughnut charts are often criticized for their limitations in accurately representing data. The angles and areas of segments can be challenging to interpret precisely, especially when comparing similar-sized categories. Additionally, the absence of a baseline or axis can make it difficult to assess relative proportions accurately. In such cases, alternative chart types like bar charts or stacked bar charts may provide clearer and more precise visualizations.

Ultimately, the appropriateness of a Doughnut chart depends on the specific data and the insights you want to convey. Consider the abovementioned factors and choose the chart type that best suits your data and communication goals.