Bar chart with images in Excel tutorial

This tutorial will help you draw and interpret a Bar Chart with images in Excel using the XLSTAT statistical software.

Dataset to generate a bar chart with images

The data represents the percentage change of the Q1 - 2021 Gross domestic product (GDP) compared to the previous period. A sample of 10 countries has been taken. Source: OECD (2021), Quarterly GDP (indicator). doi: 10.1787/b86d1fc8-en

Goal of this tutorial

The aim is to visualize the GPD variation per country. We will therefore create a bar chart to graphically illustrate the percentage change and by using XLSTAT’s flag library we will add images to the chart for a better presentation.

Setting up a bar chart with images in XLSTAT

Once XLSTAT is open, select the Bar charts with images under the Data Visualization menu. In the General tab, select column A in the Labels field and column G in the Values field. Since labels correspond to the codes of the countries, choose Countries (codes). In this case, the XLSTAT flags library will be automatically used to identify the appropriate flag. In the Options tab, different options are available for customizing the chart. Here, we choose to display the bars horizontally, use the country names as the axis labels and display the flags next to the axis in circles. The bar chart is created after you have clicked on OK.

Interpreting a Bar chart with images

Given the bars length and variation values, we observe the highest positive GPD change for India and the highest negative GPD change for Germany. It is also possible to display the bars vertically, add the countries codes and use your own images as background of the bars.

Going further

Discover more visualization tools in XLSTAT like Bar Chart Race, Motion Charts, 2D plots for crosstabs on our Help Center!