A pie chart treats the entire circle as 100% of a whole and divides it into slices that represent proportions or shares.
It is useful when you want viewers to understand how much each category contributes to the total at a glance.
Common uses include:
Sales composition by product or region
Shares of survey responses
Allocation of time or costs
Composition of energy sources or materials
Example of a pie chart created with Sakura Chart
Paste your data in CSV format to create a similar pie chart automatically.
2. What Can You Learn from a Pie Chart?
2-1. Each Category's Share
The angle and area of each slice represent its percentage of the total. A larger slice means that the category accounts for a larger share.
Which category has the largest share
Which categories rank second or third
Which categories contribute very little to the total
2-2. An Overall Impression
Pie charts are better at communicating the overall balance than exact differences.
In reports and slides, a table can provide precise figures while a pie chart gives readers a quick visual summary.
2-3. Avoid Too Many Slices
Limit the chart to about five or six categories when possible.
Combine very small categories into “Other.”
Use a bar chart when similarly sized categories need precise comparison.
3. Preparing Your Data
A basic pie chart needs one category column and one numeric value column.
3-1. Simple Pie Chart
label,value
Japan,50
North America,25
Europe,15
Others,10
Select label for the slice labels and value for their values. Sakura Chart calculates each category's percentage of the total.
3-2. Comparing Different Years
label,2024,2025
Japan,50,45
North America,25,30
Europe,15,15
Others,10,10
Select the 2024 column to create the first chart, then select 2025 to create the second. Using the same labels makes the change in composition easier to compare.
Composition in 2024, visualized with Sakura ChartComposition in 2025, visualized with Sakura Chart
4. How to Create a Pie Chart with Sakura Chart
Prepare a table in Excel or a spreadsheet with a label column and one or more value columns, then copy the data range.
Communicating the composition of a whole in one slide
If you need to show an exact percentage-point difference between categories, a bar chart may be easier to read. Choose the chart type according to the message you want to communicate.
6. Summary
A pie chart shows each category's share of a whole.
It communicates overall composition quickly and intuitively.
A label column and a value column are enough to create one in Sakura Chart.
Use separate charts with consistent labels when comparing different years.
Consider a bar chart when there are too many categories or exact differences matter.
When you want to make a breakdown easy to understand, try a pie chart. With Sakura Chart, you can paste your data and create a presentation-ready chart in just a few clicks.