Area Chart

Create customizable area charts to visualize trends and cumulative data over a continuous interval.

Chart Settings

Area Chart Example

When to Use an Area Chart

  • When visualizing data trends over a continuous interval like time
  • When showing part-to-whole relationships and cumulative values
  • When comparing multiple data series and their contributions to the total

Benefits

  • Highlights the volume of data and emphasizes the magnitude of changes
  • Shows both individual values and cumulative totals in stacked area charts
  • More visually impactful than line charts for showing volume and trends

Disadvantages

  • Can obscure specific data points and exact values
  • With too many series, lower areas can get hidden or distorted
  • May be misleading when not starting from zero baseline

Overview

  • Area charts are line charts with the area below the line filled in
  • They're ideal for showing trends and volumes over time or continuous intervals
  • Stacked area charts show how different data series contribute to a whole