How to Make a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets?

Data visualization is the go-to method when you want quick insights into your raw data. However, not any type of visualization design can be used in your data storytelling.

Some charts are designed to visualize information in an exploratory way. And others are designed to display the composition of sub-variables contributing to the whole in your data.

So if your goal is to display part-to-whole relationships in your data, your go-to chart should be the Stacked Bar Chart.

Popular and widely used visualization tools, such as Google Sheets, lack ready-made Stacked Bar Charts.

But you can transform the spreadsheet into a reliable tool by installing third-party add-ons to access visually appealing and ready-to-use Stacked Bar charts in Google Sheets.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

Table of Content:

1. What is Stacked Bar Chart?
2. How Does a Stacked Bar Chart Look Like?
3. How to Improve Your Business Performance with Data Visualization?
4. How to Make a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets?
5. How to Edit a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets?
6. How Many Types of Stacked Bar Charts are there?
7. How to Read a Stacked Bar Chart?
8. Why do We Use a Stacked Bar Chart?
9. Wrap up

Before we delve right into the how-to guide, let’s define the chart we’ll be talking about throughout the blog.

What is Stacked Bar Chart?

A Stacked Bar Chart is a variant of the Bar Graphs you can use to compare individual data points relative to aggregate values.

A typical Bar Chart compares individual data points. Conversely, in a Stacked Bar Chart, each bar is divided into a number of sub-bars stacked end to end. More so, each subsection in the bars has the same color to make formatting makes it easier.

The chart allows you to see even minor changes in key variables in your data points. Use a Stacked Bar Chart if your goal is to compare key variables in your raw data.

How to make a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets should never be a stressful or time-consuming affair. Keep reading to discover more.

How Does a Stacked Bar Chart Look Like?

A Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets uses bars to display key data points across a range of different dimensional values.

Take a look at the tabular data below. Can you provide insights into the data without taking significant amounts of time?

Subjects	2018	2019	2020
Mathematics	60	80	90
Chemistry	75	50	40
Physics	60	70	75
Computer	70	60	50
Biology	80	50	45
English	50	75	80
Arts	70	50	45
Economics	80	60	70

Now, note the difference after visualizing the data using a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets.

We hope you’ll note why we use a Stacked Bar Chart to visualize data with more than two numerical columns.

Let’s take a look at a different example. Can you provide a meaningful conclusion from the data set below?

Class	Subjects	2018	2019	2020
Grade-7	Mathematics	20	20	50
Grade-8	Mathematics	15	40	20
Grade-9	Mathematics	25	20	20
Grade-7	Computer	40	10	10
Grade-8	Computer	20	20	15
Grade-9	Computer	10	30	25
Grade-7	Arts	20	20	15
Grade-8	Arts	30	10	10
Grade-9	Arts	20	20	20

You’ll agree when we say that raw data is better served when visualized with easy-to-interpret visualization designs, such as the Stacked Bar Graph.

Check out our final example below. How convenient is it for you to tell a story from the tabular data below?

Teacher	Class	Subjects	2018	2019	2020
Abe	Grade-7	Mathematics	20	20	50
Abe	Grade-8	Mathematics	15	40	20
Abe	Grade-9	Mathematics	25	20	20
Bif	Grade-7	Computer	40	10	10
Bif	Grade-8	Computer	20	20	15
Bif	Grade-9	Computer	10	30	25
Ann	Grade-7	Arts	20	20	15
Ann	Grade-8	Arts	30	10	10
Ann	Grade-9	Arts	20	20	20

After visualizing the data above, you can easily point out the most and least-popular subjects among the students based on their enrollment rates.

For instance, Mathematics was the most enrolled subject in 2020 among seventh graders.

How to make a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets should never consume significant amounts of your valuable time. Keep reading to alleviate the problem (above).

How to Improve Your Business Performance with Data Visualization?

Data visualization designs, such as Stacked Bar Charts in Google Sheets, make it easier for business owners and professionals to make reliable decisions. Google Sheets has inbuilt charts you can use to extract answers from your data.

However, you’ll never find ready-to-use Stacked Bar Charts in Google Sheets for your analysis. The most viable option available for you is installing a particular third-party add-on (we’ll talk about later) to access ready-made graphs.

You don’t need to do away with Google Sheets in favor of other expensive tools.

We recommend you try the ChartExpo add-on for Google Sheets because of the reasons listed below.

ChartExpo does not require coding or programming skills, unlike other data visualization-based add-ons. More so, it has an ultra-friendly user interface (UI) for everyone to use.

This tool comes pre-loaded with many advanced charts to offset the missing ones in Google Sheets. Use ChartExpo to produce charts that are incredibly easy to read and understand.

How to make a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets should never be time-consuming. Use ChartExpo to overcome this. You’ll learn more about this cutting-edge tool in the next section.

So what is ChartExpo?

ChartExpo comes as an add-on for Google Sheets.

Essentially, it turns your Google Sheets into a usable data visualization tool capable of delivering hidden insights into your data, irrespective of the size or complexity.

The premium Stacked Bar Chart maker comes with a 7-day free trial period.

The key benefit of ChartExpo is the fact that it produces charts that are easy to read and interpret. More so, it allows you to save charts in the world’s most recognized formats, namely PNG and JPG.

How to Make a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets? Step by Step Guide

To Get Started with the Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets, install the ChartExpo add-on for Google Sheets from the link, and then follow the simple and easy steps below.

• Click the Extensions button > Charts, Graphs, & Visualizations by ChartExpo button > Open.

• Click the Add New Chart button to access your fully stocked library of charts.

• You will see a list of charts provided by ChartExpo. Click the Search Box and type the name of the chart you prefer.

• To visualize the data (below) using the Stacked Bar Chart, export it into your Google Sheets.
• Click the Search Box and type Stacked Bar Chart.

• Select the sheet holding your data and select the Metrics option. Fill in the numerical numbers (in our scenario, we’ll fill in: 2018, 2019, and 2020).
• Select the Dimensions button and fill in the dimensional data (in our example, we’ll use subjects, class, and teachers).

• Finish the simple process by clicking the Create Chart button.

You can customize the chart by clicking on the Edit Chart button as shown above. How to make a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets does not be complex. ChartExpo makes the whole process seamless and easy.

How to Edit a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets?

To add a title to your chart, follow the easy steps below:

• Click the Edit Chart button to get started.

• Once the Chart Header Properties window shows, click the Line 1 button and fill in your heading.

• Complete the simple process by clicking the Apply and the Save buttons, respective, as shown above.

To change the legend of the Stacked Bar Chart, follow the simple steps below.

• Click the Settings button, as shown below.
• Once the Chart Setting drop-down pops up, click the Misc button.
• Select either Value Base or Percentage Base in the drop-down menu.
• Complete the process by clicking the Apply button.

To add a percentage sign on the chart, follow the steps below:

• To change the chart’s legend, click the Edit Chart button, as shown below.

• Once the Bar & label properties window shows, click either Prefix or Postfix to add your legends.

• Complete the process by clicking the Apply All button.

How to make a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets does not have to be time-consuming. Take advantage of ChartExpo to supercharge your Google Sheets today. You can also use ChartExpo to Create Stacked Bar Chart in Excel.

How Many Types of Stacked Bar Charts are there?

There’re two major variants of a Stacked Bar Chart, namely:

1. Simple Stacked Bar Chart

A Simple Stacked Bar Chart displays sub-categories that contribute to the aggregate value. You can use this type of chart to compare the total amounts across every segmented bar.

2. 100% Stack Bar Graphs

The 100% Stacked Bar Graph shows the percentage of every group relative to the whole amount. The differences between values stand out more in this type of chart.

How to make a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets should never be a stressful or overwhelming affair. Keep reading to discover more.

How to Read a Stacked Bar Chart?

Follow the easy steps (below) if your goal is to interpret a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets accurately and objectively.

1. Understand the data points you’re comparing

Comparison of key variables is one of the key reasons why we use a Stacked Bar Chart during data analysis.

Ensure you fully understand the values under the display and their contexts.

2. Analyze the trend

Review the overall trend within the chart to understand the pattern of key data points.

3. Check outliers

Outliers can distort the key insights present in your raw data. When using this chart, always check out for outliers to get the most from your data analysis process.

Why We Use Stacked Bar Chart?

1. Easy to analyze data for insights

Use this chart if your goal is to display the relative composition of key data points. You can also use the Stacked Bat in Google Sheets to display comparison insights into key data points.

2. Outliers stand out

The Stacked Bar Chart is arguably among the best visualization designs you can use to screen your data for outliers.

3. Save time

The chart can save a lot of time because it’s incredibly easy to read and interpret, even for non-technical audiences.

If your goal is to learn how to make a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets, keep reading for more.

FAQs:

Why is a Bar Graph ineffective?

Bar Charts are ineffective because they provide general features of the data. Besides, they show very little about the data at a micro-level.

In fact, they leave a lot to the imagination of the viewer. Visualizing continuous data types using Bar Charts is challenging compared to ordinal and nominal types.

Are Bar Charts categorical or quantitative?

Bar Charts are best suited to visualize categorical data due to their simplicity and general structure. You can use the graph if your goal is to display the comparison insights into categorical data types.

To make your charts easier to interpret, use high contrasting colors to create a variation effect.

Wrap Up

Visualizing data with more than two columns of numerical values is easier said than done.

To succeed, you need the best-suited graph to extract reliable insights. In other words, you need a Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets.

Displaying hidden insights within sub-categories is one of the major reasons why we use Stacked Bar Chart in analysis.

Google Sheets should not be your go-to visualization tool if you want to leverage the Stacked Bar Graph for in-depth insights. The application lacks ready-to-use and visually appealing Stacked Bar Charts.

We recommend you install third-party apps, such as ChartExpo into your Google Sheets to access ready-made and visually appealing charts.

ChartExpo is an add-on with insightful and easy-to-interpret Stacked Bar Charts, plus over 50 more visualization designs. You don’t require programming skills to visualize your data using the application.

Sign up for a 7-day free trial today to access ready-made and visually appealing Stacked Bar Charts for your data story.