Chart Types
MacroVisonomics offers 21 chart types to help you visualize economic data effectively. Charts are organized by how many indicators they support.Single-Indicator Charts
Best for tracking one metric clearly across countries or time.Basic Charts
Line Chart
Best for: Trends over time, comparing multiple countriesShows connected points to reveal patterns and trajectories. Perfect for GDP growth, inflation trends, or any time-series data.
Area Chart
Best for: Cumulative values, emphasizing magnitudeFilled area under the line shows total volume over time. Great for showing scale differences.
Bar Chart
Best for: Yearly comparisons, categorical dataVertical bars make it easy to compare values across categories or countries.
Pie Chart
Best for: Simple proportions, market shareClassic slice visualization for parts of a whole. Best with 5 or fewer categories.
Geographic & Distribution
Choropleth Map
Best for: Geographic patterns, global comparisonsCountries are colored by value, making regional patterns immediately visible. Perfect for questions like “Which regions have the highest GDP per capita?”
Scatter Plot
Best for: Distribution over timeShows individual data points to reveal clustering, outliers, and distribution patterns.
Treemap
Best for: Proportional sizes, hierarchical dataRectangles sized by value - larger = bigger share. Great for comparing country sizes or economic output.
Heatmap
Best for: Matrix patternsColor intensity shows values across two dimensions (e.g., countries x years). Excellent for spotting trends and anomalies.
Comparison & Analysis
Waterfall Chart
Best for: Sequential changes, incremental analysisVisualize how values build up or break down step by step. Great for understanding cumulative effects.
Bullet Chart
Best for: Actual vs target comparisonCompare performance against benchmarks with clear visual indicators.
Bump Chart
Best for: Ranking changes over timeSee how countries’ positions shift year to year. Perfect for tracking competitive positions.
Gold tier required
Box Plot
Best for: Statistical distributionShows median, quartiles, and outliers across groups. Essential for understanding data spread.
Gold tier required
Flow & Advanced
Sankey Diagram
Best for: Flow visualizationShow flows between nodes like trade relationships, migration, or resource distribution.
Gold tier required
Stream Chart
Best for: Composition changes over timeFlowing layers show how components evolve together. Beautiful for showing category evolution.
Gold tier required
Candlestick
Best for: Range and volatilityShow open, high, low, close style data. Traditional financial visualization style.
Gold tier required
Multi-Indicator Charts
Compare or correlate multiple metrics in a single visualization.Bubble Chart
Best for: Correlating 2-3 indicatorsX-axis, Y-axis, and bubble size each represent different metrics. Perfect for exploring relationships like GDP vs. Life Expectancy with population as size.
Radar Chart
Best for: Multi-dimensional country profilesCompare countries across 3+ indicators on a spider-web layout. Great for comprehensive country comparisons.
Stacked Bar with Line
Best for: Multiple series with trend overlayCombine stacked categories with a trend line for context. Shows composition and trajectory together.
Dumbbell Chart
Best for: Before/after comparisonsTwo points connected by a line show change between two indicators or time periods.
Gold tier required
Parallel Coordinates
Best for: High-dimensional analysisMultiple vertical axes show patterns across many indicators simultaneously. Discover hidden correlations.
Gold tier required
Small Multiples
Best for: Comparing patterns across indicatorsGrid of mini-charts allows easy comparison of the same data across multiple dimensions.
Gold tier required
Choosing the Right Chart
Use this guide to select the best chart for your analysis:| Question | Best Chart | Indicator Mode |
|---|---|---|
| How has this changed over time? | Line, Area, Stream | Single |
| How do countries compare? | Bar, Treemap | Single |
| Where is it highest/lowest? | Choropleth Map | Single |
| What’s the distribution? | Heatmap, Box Plot | Single |
| Is there a correlation? | Bubble, Scatter | Multi |
| How do countries rank? | Bump Chart | Single |
| What’s the composition? | Pie, Treemap | Single |
| Multi-indicator profile? | Radar, Parallel | Multi |
| Before/after changes? | Dumbbell, Waterfall | Single/Multi |
| Flow relationships? | Sankey | Single |
Single vs Multi-Indicator
Understanding indicator modes helps you choose the right chart. Single-indicator charts focus on one metric for clarity, while multi-indicator charts reveal relationships between metrics.
Single Indicator (1 metric)
Line, Area, Bar, Pie, Scatter, Choropleth, Treemap, Heatmap, Waterfall, Bullet, Bump, Box Plot, Sankey, Stream, CandlestickMulti-Indicator (2+ metrics)
Bubble (2-3), Radar (3+), Stacked Bar with Line (2+), Dumbbell (2), Parallel Coordinates (3+), Small Multiples (2+)Tier Availability
| Tier | Available Charts |
|---|---|
| Pro | Line, Area, Bar, Pie, Scatter, Choropleth, Waterfall, Bullet, Heatmap, Treemap, Bubble, Radar, Stacked Bar with Line |
| Gold | All Pro charts + Bump, Box Plot, Sankey, Stream, Candlestick, Dumbbell, Parallel, Small Multiples |