What data do I need for a bubble chart?
One row per item with a name, an X value, a Y value and a size value. A group column for colour is optional.
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Bubble chart maker
Give each item an X value, a Y value and a size, and see them all at once, coloured by group and labelled. Save the bubble chart as a picture, or add years and watch the bubbles move.
To make a bubble chart, open the Product bubbles template below and paste a table with one row per item: a name, an optional group, then the X value, the Y value and the bubble size. The studio places every bubble, sizes it by area (so a value twice as big gets twice the ink), labels it and adds a legend for the groups. Export an Image (PNG) when it looks right.
Add a year or date column and the same chart becomes a bubble race: the bubbles drift across the plot from period to period, in the style made famous by Gapminder. The bubble chart race page covers that animated version in detail.
How to make a bubble chart
Open the template
Select Open the Product bubbles template. It plots price against rating, with bubble size for units sold.
Paste your table
In Data, choose Paste data. Columns: name, group (optional), X, Y, size. The Data step confirms how it’s read, for example “across from Price, up from Customer rating”.
Check the columns
Under Columns, change which column is Across (bubbles), Values or Bubble size if the guess is wrong.
Spread out big ranges
For values spanning several powers of ten, such as income or population, turn on Spread out big ranges in Chart for a log scale across.
Download
In Export, choose Image (PNG) or Vector image (SVG), then Export image and Download image.
Three variables in one picture
A bubble chart is a scatter plot with a third measure shown as bubble size, and often a fourth (a category) shown as colour. It answers questions a bar chart can’t: are the expensive products the best rated, and do they sell? Do richer countries live longer, and where are the biggest populations?
- X (across) and Y (up) should be measures you expect to be related.
- Size works best for a total, such as sales, population or budget; it’s read less precisely than position, so put the most important comparison on the axes.
- Use a group column for colour, so readers can spot clusters.
Scatter plot or bubble chart?
Without a size column, every bubble is the same size and you have a scatter plot, which is the clearer choice when there are many points or when size has nothing to add. Set the size column to Not used under Columns for a plain scatter plot.
From a still chart to a bubble race
Put the same items in for several years, one row per item per year, and the studio animates them: bubbles glide between years, can leave Trails, and the year ticks in the corner. Export the result as an MP4, a GIF or a vertical video, or keep the final year as a PNG for a report. The World Bank Wealth and health template shows the classic version with 30 countries.
Bubble chart questions
How is bubble size worked out?
By area, so a bubble for a value twice as large covers twice the area, not twice the width. That keeps the visual comparison honest.
Can I make a scatter plot instead?
Yes. Set the size column to Not used under Columns and every point is the same size.
Can I use a log scale?
Yes, across: turn on Spread out big ranges in the Chart step.
Can the bubbles move over time?
Yes. Add a date or year column with a row per item per period, and the chart becomes a bubble race you can export as a video.