Chart type · Comparison
Pictogram
An icon array showing a value out of a total.
How to read it
Each icon stands for a fixed number of units and the filled icons are the value. Read the key before the icons.
Best for
“63 out of 100 people…” — making a proportion concrete.
When not to use it
The value needs more than one part-icon to be accurate. Only the last icon is part-filled, so 2.7 of 10 reads fine and a 14-way split across a dozen icons does not.
The common mistake
Scaling one large icon instead of repeating a small one. Doubling an icon's height quadruples its area, and the value reads four times too big.
Examples
No pictogram videos published yet. Browse the rest of the library.
Related chart types
- Ranked barsHorizontal bars sorted by final value.
- PodiumA top-three, medal-style ranking.
- Dot plotOne precise point per item on a shared axis.
- DonutA share-of-total ring that builds slice by slice, then pulls the key slice out.
- TreemapRectangles sized by share of the total — as a snapshot, a before-and-after morph, a two-level sector map or a zoom into one tile.
- Stacked barsComposition across categories, optionally as 100% stacks.