Origin Pie Charts are designed to display percentages of a whole. This graph type also provides a way of summarizing a set of categorical data or displaying the different values of a given variable (e.g., percentage distribution).

Pie charts are best suited for displaying statistical information when there a handful of components.

Example plots from our Graph Gallery
[click on an image to see original graph]

Pie Chart

Pie Chart Examples

In Origin, the values in a selected column are summed, and the percentage of the total is determined for each value. The pie chart is then plotted and displays the percentage of the total for each selected value as a proportionally-sized pie section.

Percentage labels are included near each pie piece and a legend is included. The legend pairs each category in the pie chart with its pie piece color and fill properties.

Origin includes the ability to modify the following properties of a Pie chart:

• view angle - allows you to display the pie chart as 2D or 3D
  
• thickness - depth of the 3D effect in percent of radius
  
• rotation - about the center of the pie chart; can also set as CW or CCW
  
• size and position - of the pie chart in the graph window
  
• explode pie wedge - to emphasize one or more pie pieces, specific wedges can be displaced from the pie
  
• explosion displacement - distance away from the rest of the pie chart in percent of radius
  
• labels - include labels as a combination of values, percentages, and/or categories
  

Both the fill color and fill pattern of the pie wedges can be easily updated. To learn more about your fill pattern options, view the Column/Bar plot details page...

This example of an Origin Pie Chart shows how a 90 degree view angle makes the plot appear two-dimensional. The white pie wedge has been "exploded". In addition, both category and percent labels are included. The fill has been set to a grayscale theme with a slanted fill pattern.

This example of an Origin Pie chart is the same as the first, but it is set to display with a 15 degree view angle. This makes the plot appear 3D. The layer background has been set to dark cyan and a custom color list has been used for the wedge fill color.