How to Create Two Pie Charts in One (151355)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows 5.0c
  • Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh 5.0a
This article was previously published under Q151355

SUMMARY

Pie charts show the relationship or proportions of the parts to the whole. This chart type is useful for emphasizing a significant element. Normally, a pie chart always contains one data series. If you select more than one data series when you create a pie chart, only one data series will be displayed. It is possible, however, to specify a two-series pie chart by defining the chart as a combination chart. By defining the chart as a combination chart, two separate charts are created and can be formatted separately. Both the main and the overlay charts will be formatted as pie charts.

MORE INFORMATION

By defining the chart as a combination chart and formatting both the main and overlay charts as pie charts, Microsoft Excel plots one chart over the other one so that only one chart is displayed. To work around this behavior, you must add a temporary value to both series before plotting them. Then, you explode the slice of the pie that represents the temporary value. By exploding the slice, the size of the entire pie is reduced, exposing the bottom chart.
  1. Enter the following data in a worksheet: 
          A1:               B1: US    C1: Asia
      A2: Electronics   B2: .28   C2: .30
      A3: Automotive    B3: .16   C3: .24
      A4: Software      B4: .11   C4: .09
      A5: Textiles      B5: .185  C5: .16
      A6: Service       B6: .08   C6: .083
      A7: Other         B7: .185  C7: .127
  2. Enter the temporary values in cells B8 and C8. The temporary values should either be a very large or a very small value so that it is easily identified on the chart. 
         A8: Temporary Values  B8: .90   C8: .90
  3. Select the following range of cells on the worksheet: A1:C8:
    1. On the Insert menu, click Chart, and then As New Sheet. In the ChartWizard box, click Next.
    2. Under "Select a chart type," click Combination, and then Next.
    3. Under "Select a format for the Combination chart," click chart type 1, and then click Next.
    4. Click Next again, and then click to select No under "Add a legend?" Click Finish.
  4. On the Format menu, click Chart type. In the Chart Type box, click to select Group under Apply to, and then click Column group. Click Pie, and then click OK.
  5. On the Format menu, click Chart type. In the Chart Type box, click to select Group under Apply To, and then click Line Group. Select Pie, and then click OK.
  6. Click the largest slice of pie and hold down the left mouse button. Slide the pointer to the left until the pie slice separates from the rest of the pie slices.

    NOTE: The other slices of the pie chart should not separate from each other.
  7. Switch back to the worksheet. Select cells A8:C8. On the Edit menu, click Clear All. The chart should display a pie chart on top of another pie chart. The top chart, or inner pie chart, represents the values in cells C2:C7. The bottom chart, or outer pie chart, represents the values in cells B2:B7.
  8. Select the Legend. On the Edit menu, click Clear All.
  9. To add Data Labels on the inner pie slices:
    1. Click the inner pie.
    2. On the Insert menu, click Data Labels.
    3. Click the Show Label and Percent option button under the Data Labels group box and click OK. This places the data labels for the inner pie on the outer pie. Manually drag the labels to their respective slices on the inner pie.
  10. To add Data Labels on the outer pie slices:
    1. Click the outer pie.
    2. On the Insert menu, click Data Labels.
    3. Click the Show Label and Percent option button under the Data Labels group box and click OK. This places the data labels for the outer pie in the plot area of the chart. Manually drag the labels to their respective slices on the outer pie.

REFERENCES

For Microsoft Excel 97

For more information about charting, click Contents And Index on the Help menu, click the Index tab in Excel Help, type the following text

charts, creating

and then double-click the selected text to go to the "Create a chart (Microsoft Excel)" topic. If you are unable to find the information you need, ask the Office Assistant.

For Microsoft Excel Version 7.0

For more information about charting in Microsoft Excel, click Answer Wizard on the Help menu and type:

creating and formatting charts

For Microsoft Excel Version 5.0

For more information about charting in Microsoft Excel, click the Search button in Help and type:

chart

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/17/2005
Keywords:kbhowto kbinfo KB151355
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.