Pie and donut charts: definition, examples, and best practices.

What are pie and donut charts?

A pie chart represents a whole as a circle, then divides that circle into slices sized by each category's share. A bigger slice means a bigger share, and all slices together make the full circle.

A donut chart works the same way, except the center is cut out. The open middle is the point: it leaves room for a total, a percentage complete or another headline figure.

A worked example: pie

New accounts by first-touch channel across FY26, n = 24,600. Paid search brings 35% of new accounts, twice the next largest channel, which is the kind of single dominant share a pie handles well.

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When to use pie or donut

• Breaking down operating costs or acquisition channels when one or two categories dominate: pie.
• Pipeline by stage or budget usage where a center total or percentage belongs with the breakdown: donut.
• A single-choice survey with five or fewer options: either works; prefer donut if you want a summary KPI in the middle.

When not to use these

• If you have more than five or six categories, a stacked bar chart keeps every part readable.
• If several slices are close in size, a bar chart makes the small differences easier to compare.
• Never use pie or donut for values that can go negative. Negative slices have no sensible visual meaning.

How to read them

Start with the largest slice and work around the circle, usually clockwise from the top. Lean on data labels for precise figures. On a donut, read the center separately: it usually carries a single summary number that contextualizes the ring.

Best practices

• Cap slices at five or six. Group the smallest into an "other" slice beyond that.
• Order slices by size, largest to smallest, from the top clockwise.
• On a donut, put a useful number in the center, not decoration.
• Keep a donut ring reasonably thick so slice comparison stays easy.
• Avoid 3D effects or exploded slices. Both distort relative size.