Pie Chart Maker
| # | Category | Value | Color | % |
|---|
Switch between pie and donut chart, adjust labels, and apply a preset color palette or use custom colors in the Data tab.
One row per category. Format: Category Name, Number. The header row is optional.
Pie Chart Examples
Click any example to load it into the maker above
What Is a Pie Chart?
A pie chart (also called a circle chart) is a circular statistical graphic divided into slices, where each slice represents a category's proportional share of the total. The arc length, central angle, and area of each sector are all proportional to the quantity it represents. The name comes from the resemblance to a pie cut into wedges. Pie charts are one of the most widely used data visualizations in business reports, academic presentations, journalism, and school projects because they give an immediate sense of how a whole divides into parts.
The key constraint is that all slices together must equal 100% of the total. This makes pie charts specifically suited for part-to-whole relationships. If your data does not represent shares of a single total — for example, comparing sales figures across separate product lines over different years — a bar chart is usually a clearer choice.
How to Make a Pie Chart in 6 Steps
Pie Chart Formulas and Percentage Calculations
Two formulas drive every pie chart. The first converts a raw value into a percentage of the total. The second converts that percentage into the central angle of the slice in the circle.
For more on calculating and interpreting proportional data, see Descriptive Statistics on Statistics Fundamentals.
Pie Chart vs. Donut Chart vs. Bar Chart
| Chart Type | Best For | Avoid When | Readable Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pie Chart | Part-to-whole shares, dominant categories, survey results | Many small slices, precise value comparison, time-series data | 2 – 6 |
| Donut Chart | Same as pie; allows a center metric (e.g. total, KPI label) | Same as pie; avoid when center space is not used meaningfully | 2 – 6 |
| Bar Chart | Comparing values across many categories, tracking changes, ranking | When you specifically need to show a proportion of a single whole | 2 – 20+ |
| Stacked Bar | Part-to-whole across multiple groups or time periods | Single time point with few categories | 2 – 8 per stack |
Pie Chart Best Practices
Common Pie Chart Mistakes
The two most common errors are including too many slices and applying 3D styling. A pie chart with ten slices requires readers to scan a legend and match colors to thin slivers, defeating the purpose of visualization. The second error is 3D perspective — it introduces an optical illusion where the front of the circle looks larger, misrepresenting the data.
A subtler mistake is using pie charts for data that does not represent parts of a whole. If you are comparing the number of customers each sales representative acquired independently — not as shares of a fixed total — a bar chart is more appropriate. The slice metaphor implies a shared whole, which can mislead when that relationship does not exist in the data.
For foundational reading on chart selection and data visualization principles, the Storytelling with Data resource by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic covers these trade-offs in depth.
Real-World Pie Chart Uses
Related Tools and Guides
Sources and further reading:
- Tufte, E. R. (2001). The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 2nd ed. Graphics Press.
- Cleveland, W. S. (1985). The Elements of Graphing Data. Wadsworth Advanced Books. [Documents perceptual limitations of pie charts]
- Nussbaumer Knaflic, C. (2015). Storytelling with Data. Wiley. — storytellingwithdata.com
- Few, S. (2007). "Save the Pies for Dessert." Visual Business Intelligence Newsletter. Perceptual Edge.
- NIST/SEMATECH — Engineering Statistics Handbook
Frequently Asked Questions
This tool is fully free, works in any browser, and requires no sign-up. It auto-calculates percentages, supports up to 20 categories, includes a donut chart mode, custom and preset color palettes, multiple label styles, and exports clean SVG files for presentations and reports. It runs entirely in your browser — no data is sent to a server.
Divide each category's value by the sum of all values, then multiply by 100. Formula: Percentage = (Value ÷ Total) × 100. For example, if your categories have values 50, 30, and 20, the total is 100. The first slice is 50%, the second 30%, and the third 20%. For the slice angle: multiply the percentage by 3.6 (since 360° ÷ 100 = 3.6°). This tool does both calculations automatically.
Two to six categories works well for most pie charts. Beyond six, slices become too thin to label clearly and too similar in angle to compare visually. When you have seven or more categories, two approaches work: group the smallest categories into a single "Other" slice, or switch to a bar chart, which handles many categories much more readably.
A donut chart is a pie chart with the center removed, leaving a ring shape. Both display the same proportional data using the same calculation. The practical difference is visual: the hollow center can hold a key metric, total, or label. Some researchers also argue that donut charts are slightly easier to read because they reduce the visual salience of area and focus attention on arc length. Toggle the Chart Type selector in the Style tab to switch between pie and donut.
Rounding. When each percentage is rounded to a whole number or one decimal place, the individual rounding errors can accumulate to a sum of 99% or 101%. This is normal and expected. The standard solution is to adjust the largest slice by ±1% to make the total exactly 100%. Always note in your report that percentages are rounded. This tool rounds to one decimal place, which minimizes the rounding gap.
Yes. Copy your two-column data from Excel (category names in the first column, values in the second), then use the Paste CSV tab above. Paste the data, click Import CSV, and the tool loads your categories automatically. Alternatively, you can type values directly in the Data tab. The exported SVG file can then be inserted into Excel, Word, or PowerPoint.
Use a bar chart when you have more than six categories, when precise comparison of values matters (bar lengths are easier to compare than slice angles), when values do not represent shares of a single total, or when tracking the same measure across time points. Pie charts are most effective when one slice is clearly dominant or when the data is a simple two-part split.