Grouped bar charts: What they are and when to use them
A clear guide to comparing categories side by side, and how to build them in Flourish
Bar charts are straightforward — until your data has more than one thing to say. When you need to compare not just categories, but sub-categories within each one, a grouped bar chart is often the right tool.
In this guide, we’ll explain what a grouped bar chart is, how it differs from a stacked bar chart, and how to build one in Flourish.
What is a grouped bar chart?
A grouped bar chart is a visualization that displays multiple data sets side by side, organized by category. Instead of showing just one value per category, it allows you to compare several sub-categories within each main group, making differences immediately visible.
In terms of structure, grouped bar charts are built around a primary category and a secondary category. The primary category determines how the bars are grouped (e.g., regions or years), while the secondary category defines the individual bars within each group (e.g., product types or departments). These bars are typically color-coded to make distinctions clear, and their height or length represents the numerical value.
In the example above, the countries are the primary category and the energy sources are the secondary category.
Grouped bar charts can be displayed either vertically or horizontally. Vertical charts are more common, but horizontal charts are often a better choice when working with long labels, as they provide more space and improve readability without requiring text rotation or truncation.
Grouped vs. stacked bar charts – what’s the difference?
Grouped bar charts are often compared to stacked bar charts, as both are used to visualize data with multiple categories. However, they serve different purposes and should be chosen based on what you want to communicate.
In a grouped bar chart, each sub-category is shown as a separate bar placed next to the other bars within the same group. This makes it easy to directly compare individual values across categories.
In contrast, a stacked bar chart combines sub-categories into a single bar. Each bar is divided into segments stacked on top of (or next to) each other, with each segment representing a subcategory. The total length or height of the bar represents the sum of all sub-categories.
While grouped bar charts are better for comparing individual values, stacked bar charts are designed to show how different parts contribute to a whole. They are particularly useful when you want to highlight both proportions and totals.
A simple way to decide: if you want to compare individual values across categories, use a grouped bar chart. If the story is about how parts add up to a whole, a stacked bar chart will serve you better.
Grouped bar chart examples
So when should you actually reach for a grouped bar chart? The format works best in a handful of recurring situations — here are the most common ones.
Firstly, a grouped bar chart is best used when the goal is to compare sub-categories within multiple groups. For example, comparing products across regions is one of the most common uses. Each region becomes a group, and each bar within it represents a product — making it easy to spot which product leads in each market and where patterns diverge.
Tracking performance over time is another typical use case. Here, each group might represent a specific time period, such as a year or quarter, while the bars represent different product lines or business units. This allows you to see not only how performance evolves over time, but also how different categories compare within each time period.
Survey and feedback data maps naturally onto this format too. If you’ve asked multiple departments the same set of questions, a grouped bar chart lets readers scan across departments and spot where responses differ most — something a table of numbers rarely makes obvious.
More broadly, grouped bar charts are useful for comparing performance metrics across teams, evaluating different methods under the same conditions, analyzing demographic data, or exploring financial data across categories. In all of these cases, the key advantage is the ability to make clear, side-by-side comparisons.
When not to use grouped bar charts
Grouped bar charts work best when you have a small number of groups and a manageable number of bars within each one — typically no more than three or four. If your data has many groups or many sub-categories, the chart can quickly become crowded and hard to read. In those cases, consider splitting the data into separate charts, filtering to the most relevant categories, or switching to a different chart type altogether.
If you’re showing how a single value changes continuously over time — monthly revenue over two years, for example — a line chart will communicate the trend more clearly. If your primary goal is to show how sub-categories add up to a total, a stacked bar chart is better suited. And if you only have one category to compare, a simple bar chart is cleaner and less visually demanding. Choosing the right chart type isn’t about which looks most impressive — it’s about which makes your data easiest to understand.
How to create grouped and stacked bar charts in Flourish
To create a grouped bar chart in Flourish, start by opening the Line, Bar, Pie template from the template chooser, or upload your own dataset directly.
In the data tab, assign your primary category — the variable that defines each group, such as region or year — to the Label column. Your sub-categories, such as product lines or departments, should each have their own column, as Flourish will treat each column as a separate bar within the group.
From there, you can explore a range of customization options. For example, you can choose from layout options such as a grid of charts. Refine the visual design by selecting colors, adding labels, and including a title and subtitle to provide context.
Taking the time to adjust these elements can make a significant difference in how clearly your data is communicated. A well-designed chart not only presents information accurately but also makes it easy for your audience to understand key insights at a glance.
Take a look at our blog posts below for more inspiration.
