Create a Pie Chart in Python using Matplotlib

April 6, 2024

To create a pie chart in Python using Matplotlib:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

my_data = [value1, value2, value3, ...]
my_labels = ["label1", "label2", "label3", ...]

plt.pie(my_data, labels=my_labels, autopct="%1.1f%%")

plt.title("My Title")
plt.axis("equal")

plt.show()

Steps to Create a Pie Chart in Python using Matplotlib

Step 1: Install the Matplotlib package

Install the Matplotlib package if you haven’t already done so:

pip install matplotlib

Step 2: Gather the Data for the Pie Chart

Next, gather the data for the pie chart.

For example, let’s use the following data about the status of tasks:

Tasks Pending300
Tasks Ongoing500
Tasks Completed700

The goal is to create a pie chart based on the above data.

Step 3: Plot the Pie Chart using Matplotlib

Next, plot the pie chart using Matplotlib.

You can use the template below to plot the chart:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

my_data = [value1, value2, value3, ...]
my_labels = ["label1", "label2", "label3", ...]

plt.pie(my_data, labels=my_labels, autopct="%1.1f%%")

plt.title("My Title")
plt.axis("equal")

plt.show()

For our example:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

my_data = [300, 500, 700]
my_labels = ["Tasks Pending", "Tasks Ongoing", "Tasks Completed"]

plt.pie(my_data, labels=my_labels, autopct="%1.1f%%")

plt.title("My Tasks")
plt.axis("equal")

plt.show()

Run the script in Python and you’ll get the pie chart.

Step 4: Style the Chart

You can further style the pie chart by adding:

  • Start angle
  • Shadow
  • Colors
  • Explode component

Here is the script for the styled chart:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

my_data = [300, 500, 700]
my_labels = ["Tasks Pending", "Tasks Ongoing", "Tasks Completed"]
my_colors = ["lightblue", "lightsteelblue", "silver"]
my_explode = (0, 0.1, 0)

plt.pie(
    my_data,
    labels=my_labels,
    autopct="%1.1f%%",
    startangle=15,
    shadow=True,
    colors=my_colors,
    explode=my_explode,
)

plt.title("My Tasks")
plt.axis("equal")

plt.show()

Run the script, and you’ll get the styled chart.

You may check the following guide that explains the steps to create scatter, line and bar charts using matplotlib.