Bar charts
Bar charts show grouped data as rectangular bars with spaces between the bars, e.g. the number of tourists visiting a resort each month.
Bar chart: the number of tourists (per age category) visiting a resort in one year
When interpreting a bar chart, you should include:
- the total e.g. total number of tourists per year
- the highest and lowest amounts (by month) shown by the tallest and shortest bars
- a comparison of the bars by noting differences between them
Divided bar chart
Divided bar charts split up each rectangular bar to break the information down further.
Divided bar charts are sometimes drawn horizontally and can often be used as an alternative to pie charts if the data is given in percentages.
Divided bar chart: the number of tourists (per age category) visiting a resort in one year
When interpreting a divided bar chart, you should include:
- the proportion or percentage of one bar compared to another
- the highest and lowest figures shown by the biggest and smallest bar
- the differences indicated by the size of each bar
