ranking
Bar Chart Race
Bars grow, reorder, and travel through time for an instantly readable ranking story.
Use this template●Guide 03
Choose the right animated chart type
step by step.
Start with the relationship you need the audience to understand. The right chart reduces explanation; the wrong chart forces animation to compensate for a structural mismatch.
At a glance What you will learn
From clean data to a chart ready to publish.
- Use the audience question to select the form
- Reserve bar races for changing rank
- Use lines for continuous time trends
- Use part-to-whole charts only when totals are meaningful
01 Tutorial
Follow the workflow
Work through the steps in order for a new chart, or use them as a review checklist for an existing animation.
- 01
Ranking: who leads and how does position change?
Choose a bar chart race or animated leaderboard when relative position across multiple periods is the main story. Limit the category count so labels remain readable.
- 02
Trend: how does a value change over time?
Use a line or area chart for continuous time series. Multiple lines work when direct comparison matters and each series remains distinguishable.
- 03
Comparison: how do categories differ?
Use columns, horizontal bars, dumbbells, or slope charts. The direction and number of comparison points determine the clearest form.
- 04
Share: how is a meaningful total divided?
Use a donut, waffle, treemap, or 100% stacked chart when categories sum to a meaningful whole. Avoid pie-like charts for precise comparisons across many segments.
- 05
Relationship or distribution
Use scatter plots for relationships and outliers, motion bubbles for multivariate change over time, heatmaps for repeated patterns, and force networks for weighted connections.
- 06
Hierarchy, flow, or schedule
Use sunbursts for nested composition, Sankey diagrams for movement between stages, funnels for sequential drop-off, and Gantt timelines for tasks with start, end, and progress.
02 Visual examples
Try these chart templates
Compare the motion and reading pattern before committing to a format. Each example opens as an editable, data-driven chart.
Line Trend
trend
Line Trend
A clean line draws across the plot with points, labels, grid, and a strong finish.
Use this templateshare
Share Donut
Donut segments sweep into place with a ranked legend and total callout.
Use this templateMotion Bubble Timeline
trend
Motion Bubble Timeline
Bubbles glide, resize, and regroup across periods to reveal multivariate change over time.
Use this templateAnimated Sunburst
share
Animated Sunburst
Nested rings sweep outward from the center to show hierarchical composition and contribution.
Use this templateForce Network
comparison
Force Network
Weighted relationships draw into a relaxed network as connected nodes settle into place.
Use this templateAnimated Gantt Timeline
trend
Animated Gantt Timeline
Project bars build across a shared timeline with progress fills and sequenced task reveals.
Use this template03 Apply it
Related use cases
04 FAQ
Common questions
When should I use a bar chart race?
Use it when the story is specifically about changing rank or leadership across multiple periods. If exact trends matter more than rank, a line chart is usually clearer.
What is the best chart for comparing before and after?
A dumbbell or slope chart makes two-point change easy to see. Grouped columns also work when the audience needs familiar axes or several measures per category.
How many chart categories are too many?
It depends on the screen and chart type, but 5–8 visible categories is a useful limit for video. More categories can overwhelm labels and make motion difficult to follow.