> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.macrovisonomics.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chart Types

> Choose from 21 chart types — line, bar, choropleth maps, bubble, radar, Sankey, and more — to visualize economic data

# 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

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Line Chart" icon="chart-line">
    **Best for**: Trends over time, comparing multiple countries

    Shows connected points to reveal patterns and trajectories. Perfect for GDP growth, inflation trends, or any time-series data.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Area Chart" icon="chart-area">
    **Best for**: Cumulative values, emphasizing magnitude

    Filled area under the line shows total volume over time. Great for showing scale differences.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bar Chart" icon="chart-bar">
    **Best for**: Yearly comparisons, categorical data

    Vertical bars make it easy to compare values across categories or countries.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pie Chart" icon="chart-pie">
    **Best for**: Simple proportions, market share

    Classic slice visualization for parts of a whole. Best with 5 or fewer categories.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Geographic & Distribution

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Choropleth Map" icon="globe">
    **Best for**: Geographic patterns, global comparisons

    Countries are colored by value, making regional patterns immediately visible. Perfect for questions like "Which regions have the highest GDP per capita?"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scatter Plot" icon="scatter-chart">
    **Best for**: Distribution over time

    Shows individual data points to reveal clustering, outliers, and distribution patterns.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Treemap" icon="chart-treemap">
    **Best for**: Proportional sizes, hierarchical data

    Rectangles sized by value - larger = bigger share. Great for comparing country sizes or economic output.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Heatmap" icon="fire">
    **Best for**: Matrix patterns

    Color intensity shows values across two dimensions (e.g., countries x years). Excellent for spotting trends and anomalies.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Comparison & Analysis

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Waterfall Chart" icon="chart-bar">
    **Best for**: Sequential changes, incremental analysis

    Visualize how values build up or break down step by step. Great for understanding cumulative effects.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bullet Chart" icon="target">
    **Best for**: Actual vs target comparison

    Compare performance against benchmarks with clear visual indicators.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bump Chart" icon="trending-up">
    **Best for**: Ranking changes over time

    See how countries' positions shift year to year. Perfect for tracking competitive positions.

    <Note>Gold tier required</Note>
  </Card>

  <Card title="Box Plot" icon="box-select">
    **Best for**: Statistical distribution

    Shows median, quartiles, and outliers across groups. Essential for understanding data spread.

    <Note>Gold tier required</Note>
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Flow & Advanced

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Sankey Diagram" icon="workflow">
    **Best for**: Flow visualization

    Show flows between nodes like trade relationships, migration, or resource distribution.

    <Note>Gold tier required</Note>
  </Card>

  <Card title="Stream Chart" icon="layers">
    **Best for**: Composition changes over time

    Flowing layers show how components evolve together. Beautiful for showing category evolution.

    <Note>Gold tier required</Note>
  </Card>

  <Card title="Candlestick" icon="candlestick-chart">
    **Best for**: Range and volatility

    Show open, high, low, close style data. Traditional financial visualization style.

    <Note>Gold tier required</Note>
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Multi-Indicator Charts

Compare or correlate multiple metrics in a single visualization.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Bubble Chart" icon="circle">
    **Best for**: Correlating 2-3 indicators

    X-axis, Y-axis, and bubble size each represent different metrics. Perfect for exploring relationships like GDP vs. Life Expectancy with population as size.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Radar Chart" icon="chart-radar">
    **Best for**: Multi-dimensional country profiles

    Compare countries across 3+ indicators on a spider-web layout. Great for comprehensive country comparisons.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Stacked Bar with Line" icon="chart-bar">
    **Best for**: Multiple series with trend overlay

    Combine stacked categories with a trend line for context. Shows composition and trajectory together.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dumbbell Chart" icon="git-compare">
    **Best for**: Before/after comparisons

    Two points connected by a line show change between two indicators or time periods.

    <Note>Gold tier required</Note>
  </Card>

  <Card title="Parallel Coordinates" icon="columns">
    **Best for**: High-dimensional analysis

    Multiple vertical axes show patterns across many indicators simultaneously. Discover hidden correlations.

    <Note>Gold tier required</Note>
  </Card>

  <Card title="Small Multiples" icon="layout-grid">
    **Best for**: Comparing patterns across indicators

    Grid of mini-charts allows easy comparison of the same data across multiple dimensions.

    <Note>Gold tier required</Note>
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## 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

<Note>
  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.
</Note>

### Single Indicator (1 metric)

Line, Area, Bar, Pie, Scatter, Choropleth, Treemap, Heatmap, Waterfall, Bullet, Bump, Box Plot, Sankey, Stream, Candlestick

### Multi-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                    |

See the [Chart Indicator Guide](/guides/chart-indicator-guide) for detailed information on indicator requirements for each chart type.