How to Combine Two Pie Charts in Excel

Trying to compare two sets of data in Excel, like this quarter's marketing channels versus last quarter's, often feels like it requires two separate pie charts side-by-side. But what if you could combine them into a single, cohesive visualization? This article will walk you through the best methods to combine and compare pie charts in Excel, including a popular technique that uses a doughnut chart to layer two data series into one eye-catching graphic.

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Why Combine Pie Charts in the First Place?

A single pie chart is great at showing a "part-to-whole" relationship for one set of data - for example, how different social media platforms contribute to your total website traffic. But when you want to compare that relationship across two different scenarios, a single pie chart can't do the job.

You might want to compare:

• Two Time Periods: How did your revenue sources in Q1 compare to Q2?
• Two Products: What is the demographic breakdown of customers for Product A versus Product B?
• Two Segments: How does the marketing budget allocation compare for your North American and European divisions?

In these cases, combining or closely comparing two pie charts allows you to spot shifts, trends, and differences much more effectively than looking at raw numbers in a table.

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Start Here: How to Prepare Your Data for Charting

Before you create any chart in Excel, proper data setup is essential. A clean, well-organized table will make the charting process smooth and prevent common errors. For comparing two data sets, your table should have a clear structure.

Let's use a common marketing scenario: comparing advertising spend by channel for the first and second quarters. Your data should be organized in a simple table like this:

Example Data Structure:

A few tips for your data setup:

• Clear Headers: Use distinct and descriptive headers for each column (e.g., "Channel," "Q1 Spend," "Q2 Spend").
• Consistent Categories: Ensure the categories in the first column (your labels) are consistent for both data sets.
• No Blank Rows/Columns: Keep your data in a contiguous block without any empty rows or columns in the middle, as this can confuse Excel's chart generator.

Method 1: Create a Multi-Level Doughnut Chart

This is the most effective and visually appealing way to "combine" two pie charts into a single object. A doughnut chart is essentially a pie chart with a hole in the middle, and we can leverage this to display two series of data as concentric rings. It provides an immediate and powerful comparison.

Step 1: Create the First Doughnut Chart (The Inner Ring)

We'll start by charting just the first data series (Q1 Spend in our example).

1. Select the range containing your categories and your first data series. In our example table, highlight cells A1 through B6 (covering "Channel" and "Q1 Spend").
2. Go to the Insert tab on the Excel ribbon.
3. In the Charts group, click the Pie Chart icon and select Doughnut from the dropdown menu.

Excel will generate a doughnut chart representing your Q1 data. Now, let's add the second layer.

Step 2: Add the Second Data Series (The Outer Ring)

Next, we need to add the Q2 data to the same chart.

1. Right-click anywhere on the chart you just created and choose Select Data....
2. In the "Select Data Source" dialog box, you'll see "Legend Entries (Series)" on the left. Click the Add button.
3. The "Edit Series" dialog box will appear.

At this point, you'll see a second doughnut ring appear inside the first one. Don't worry, we're about to resize it to create the layered effect.

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Step 3: Format the Doughnuts for Layering

Now for the key part: adjusting the series so they display as a clean, multi-level chart.

1. Right-click on the outer doughnut ring (your Q1 data) and choose Format Data Series....
2. A formatting pane will open on the right side. Under "Series Options," find the Doughnut Hole Size slider. Decrease the size to make the hole smaller and the ring thicker. A value around 35-40% usually works well.
3. Now, click on the inner doughnut ring (your Q2 data) to select it. The "Format Data Series" pane will now apply to this series.
4. Increase the Doughnut Hole Size slider for this inner ring. A value around 65-70% will make it thinner and create a clear distinction from the outer ring.

You should now have a visually distinct inner ring (Q2) and outer ring (Q1). You can add chart titles, format colors, and add data labels to each series to finish your visualization.

Method 2: Use a 'Pie of Pie' or 'Bar of Pie' Chart

Sometimes, you don't want to compare two entirely different data sets, but rather to break down a single slice of one pie chart into more detail. For this purpose, Excel's built-in "Pie of Pie" or "Bar of Pie" chart types are perfect.

This method works best when you have one slice that is an "Other" category or a combined total you want to expand upon. For instance, if you have a pie chart of website traffic and one slice is "Referral Traffic," you could use a Pie of Pie to break down that slice into its individual referral sources (e.g., Forbes, TechCrunch, partner blogs).

How to Create a Pie of Pie Chart:

1. Set up your data in a single column. All main categories and sub-categories should be listed in order.
2. Select all your data and go to the Insert tab.
3. Click the Pie Chart icon and choose either Pie of Pie or Bar of Pie.
4. Excel will create the chart, automatically grouping the last few data points into the secondary chart.
5. To customize what gets broken out, right-click the main pie and select Format Data Series.... In the pane that appears, you can use the "Split Series By" option to specify which values to move to the second plot, either by position, value, percentage, or manually.

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Method 3: The Simple (But Effective) Side-by-Side Comparison

Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best. While a layered doughnut chart is technically one chart object, placing two well-formatted pie charts next to each other is perfectly clear and easy to understand for any audience.

Tips for an Effective Side-by-Side Comparison:

• Keep Colors Consistent: Use the same color for the same category across both charts. For example, if "Google Ads" is blue in the Q1 chart, it should also be blue in the Q2 chart. This makes visual comparison instantaneous.
• Label Clearly: Give each chart a distinct title (e.g., "Q1 Ad Spend" and "Q2 Ad Spend") so there is no confusion.
• Align and Size Uniformly: Make sure both charts are the same size and are aligned horizontally or vertically for a clean, professional look on your dashboard or report.

Best Practices for Reporting with Pie Charts

Regardless of which method you choose, follow these tips to ensure your charts are clear, accurate, and easy to interpret.

• Don't Use Too Many Slices: Pie charts become cluttered and hard to read with more than 5-7 categories. If you have more, group the smallest ones into an "Other" category.
• Always Start from a 100% Total: The entire point of a pie chart is to show parts of a whole. Ensure your data correctly adds up to 100% of the total you are analyzing.
• Label Directly: Whenever possible, add data labels directly onto the pie slices. This is much easier for your audience to read than a separate legend that requires them to look back and forth.
• Consider Alternatives: For comparing changes over time, a stacked column chart or a line chart can often tell the story more effectively than two pie charts. They make it easier to see how each category has grown or shrunk relative to the others.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to layer data into a single doughnut chart or create an effective side-by-side comparison in Excel is a great skill for making your reports more dynamic. These methods save space on your dashboard and allow your audience to quickly grasp the differences between two data sets without having to jump between slides or reports.

While mastering these techniques in Excel is incredibly useful, the process of constantly downloading CSVs, cleaning the data, and manually building these reports is time-consuming. We wanted to skip that process entirely. With Graphed, you can connect your advertising platforms and analytics tools directly, then simply ask "compare my ad spend for Q1 and Q2 in a pie chart," and get a live, interactive visualization in seconds instead of minutes.