Sample CSV
| Country | Value | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | 100 | 100 |
| North America | 50 | 60 |
| Europe | 30 | 40 |
| Africa | 20 | 25 |
How to Create a Lollipop Chart
A step by step walkthrough for building a lollipop chart with stems, sized dots and a clean legend in PlotSet.
About 6 minutesYou will end up with a chart where each category has a thin stem and a dot at its value.
Expect about six minutes. Most of it goes on choosing the sort order and the dot size.
The data you need
One row per category, with a numeric value and, if you want them, a size and a group.
The value column must be numeric. Rows with a non-numeric value are dropped.
A size column makes the area of each dot follow the number.
A group column colours the dots and builds the legend.
Rows that share a label are joined by one stem, from the lowest to the highest value.
The steps
The exact click path in PlotSet, from a blank template to a finished chart.
- 01
Open the Lollipop Chart template
From the PlotSet dashboard, start a new project and choose Lollipop Chart from the Bar Charts category. It loads with three regions.
Every guide starts here. Pick the category, then the template: it is the same grid whichever chart type you are after. - 02
Add your data
Import a CSV or .xlsx file, paste rows from a spreadsheet, or connect a Google Sheet. Each row is one category.
The data view, shown here on a bar chart project. Upload a CSV, lift the numbers out of an image with Magic Import, or sync a Google Sheet. The panel is identical for every chart type. - 03
Bind the columns
Choose the label column and the value column. Add a size column and a group column if you have them.
Bindings decide which column becomes the label, which supplies the values and which drives the colour. Auto Binding guesses them from your headers, so check it rather than assume it. - 04
Choose orientation and order
In the Orientation tab, switch between horizontal and vertical and sort the categories from high to low.
The Preview tab for a Lollipop Chart. Every styling control lives in the outlined panel, each on its own tab: appearance, header, footer and the options specific to this chart type. - 05
Style the stems and dots
The Stems tab sets width, opacity and colour. The Dots tab sets the radius, outline and fade on hover.
- 06
Set labels and axes
The Labels tab shows category and value labels. The Value axis tab sets gridlines, ticks and the range.
- 07
Publish and embed
Publish for a live chart and copy the embed code from the Share dialog. Check the dots at the width of your page before you share it.
Share is how a finished chart becomes a public link and an embed code.
Start from the Lollipop Chart template with sample data already loaded, then swap in your own.
Open the templatePublish, embed or export it
The last stretch is the same for every chart type: Share turns the chart into a live public link and an embed code, Export writes it out as a static file.
Share: public link and embed code
Activating the embed code and public link publishes the chart. The link is safe to send to anyone, and the embed code drops into any page as an iframe that keeps the hover tooltips and the interactivity. Edit the chart later and hit Recreate to push those changes out to both.
Export: SVG, PNG or JPG
Export writes a static copy at whatever size you need. SVG stays sharp at any scale and can still be edited in a design tool; PNG and JPG are the safe choices for slides and documents. The scale multiplier is what gets you a crisp image on a retina screen.
Styling tips for a Lollipop Chart
Sort the categories
A ranked order lets readers see the leaders at a glance.
Start at zero
A stem implies length, so keep the axis anchored at zero.
Size with care
Use dot size for a real second measure, not just decoration.
Switch off what you do not need
Hide value labels or gridlines if the dots already say enough.
Common mistakes when making a Lollipop Chart
A row is missing
Its value is not a number. Remove thousands separators and text from the cell.
Every dot is a different colour
The group column is the same as the label column. Bind a real group or use a single colour.
The dots overlap
They are too large for the spacing. Lower the radius or the largest dot area.
The stems look doubled
Two rows share a label and are joined into one stem. Give each row its own label if that is not intended.
Learn more about the Lollipop Chart
Not sure the Lollipop Chart is the right choice? See what it is, when to use it and when not to.
Lollipop Chart: common questions
It draws a thin stem and a dot instead of a filled bar, so it looks lighter and shows small gaps more clearly.
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