Chart type · Comparison
Treemap
How to read it
Area is the value. Rectangles are laid out largest first, usually from the top-left corner. In a morph, compare the start and the end — the areas in between are only the move. In a sector map, a part's area is its share of the whole, and colour (green up, red down) is the change, not the size.
Best for
Market share and revenue mix, especially with a long tail of small parts, or any "who gained share" story.
When not to use it
Precision matters — people compare areas badly, especially between rectangles of different proportions. Sector headers also take a fixed strip, so areas are only proportional across sectors to within that strip.
The common mistake
Comparing a tall thin block with a wide flat one. Equal areas in different shapes rarely look equal.
Examples
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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.
- Stacked barsComposition across categories, optionally as 100% stacks.
- WaffleA 100-square grid split across up to six groups.