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How to show percentage in Pie chart in Excel – A full guide

Author Siluvia Last modified

In Excel, pie charts are powerful tools for visualizing data distributions, allowing you to quickly grasp the relative importance of different categories at a glance. A common enhancement to these charts is displaying percentages, which can provide clearer insights into the proportions each segment represents. This tutorial will guide you through different methods of adding percentage labels to your pie charts in Excel, enhancing the readability and effectiveness of your data presentations.

A screenshot of an Excel pie chart used to demonstrate how to display percentages

Show percentage in pie chart

In this section, we will explore several methods to display percentage in a pie chart in Excel.

By changing the chart styles

Excel offers a variety of built-in chart styles that can be applied to pie charts. These styles can automatically include percentage labels, making this a quick and straightforward option for enhancing your chart's clarity.

  1. Select the pie chart to activate the "Chart Tools" tab in the Excel ribbon.
  2. Go to the "Chart Design" tab under "Chart Tools", browse through the style options and select one that includes percentage labels.
    Tip: Hovering over a style will give you a live preview of how it will look.
    A screenshot showing Excel chart styles with percentage labels
Result

The desired style then applies to your selected pie chart. The percentages should now be visible on your pie chart. See screenshot:

A screenshot of a pie chart in Excel with percentage labels applied using chart styles

By changing the overall layout of the chart

Changing the overall layout of your pie chart can give you more control over which elements are displayed, including data labels that can be formatted to show percentages.

  1. Select the pie chart for which you want to show percentage.
  2. Go to the "Chart Design" tab under "Chart Tools", click the "Quick Layout" drop-down list, and then select a layout that includes percentage labels.
    Tip: Hovering over a layout will give you a live preview of how it will look.
    A screenshot of the Quick Layout menu in Excel for changing chart layouts
Result

The percentages should now be visible on your pie chart. See screenshot:

A screenshot of a pie chart in Excel showing percentages after changing the layout

By adding the Percentage label

For a more direct approach, you can specifically enable and customize percentage labels without altering other chart elements. Please follow the steps below to get it done.

  1. Right click the pie chart that you want to show percentages, and then select "Add Data Labels" from the context menu.
    A screenshot showing the Add Data Labels option for an Excel pie chart
  2. Now data labels have now been added to the chart. You need to right click on the chart again and choose "Format Data Labels" from the right-clicking menu.
    A screenshot showing the Format Data Labels option in the context menu of an Excel pie chart
  3. The "Format Data Labels" pane is now displayed on the right side of Excel. You then need to tick the "Percentage" box in the "Label Options" group.
    A screenshot of the Format Data Labels pane in Excel with the Percentage option selected
    Note: Ensure the "Percentage" option is ticked. You can then keep any label options you need. For example, you can also select "Category name" if you want both the name and percentage to appear.
Result

Now percentages are shown in the selected pie chart as shown in the screenshot below.

A screenshot of a pie chart in Excel displaying percentages after enabling data labels

Note: You can position your labels and modify the font size to make sure your chart remains easy to read.

By following the detailed steps outlined above, you can effectively display percentages in your Excel pie charts, thereby making your data visualizations more informative and impactful. Enhance your reports and presentations by applying these techniques to present data in a more accessible and understandable way. For those eager to delve deeper into Excel's capabilities, our website boasts a wealth of tutorials. Discover more Excel tips and tricks here.

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