Chart type · Trend
Pyramid
Back-to-back bars by cohort, read as a shape.
How to read it
Bars run back to back from a shared centre, oldest band on top. Compare the shapes of the two profiles: a wide base is a young, growing population, a top-heavy one is ageing. The dashed line on each side marks its median age, and the chip under it names the shape.
Best for
Population pyramids: one population split in two, two countries compared by share, or one country aged from then to now.
When not to use it
The cohorts aren't an ordered ladder (ages, income bands), so there is no shape to read.
The common mistake
Comparing two populations of different size in absolute counts, where every band favours the larger one. Compare each side's share of its own total instead.
Examples
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