How do I make a Pareto chart from counts?

Paste a header plus category and count columns, or upload CSV/TSV. A single count column is enough if you do not have labels. The chart sorts descending and draws the cumulative line. Download the SVG for a report or slide.

What does a Pareto chart tell you?

It shows which few categories account for most of the total. The bars that first cross 80% are a starting list, not a root-cause ranking. This tool draws the figure. It does not pick the causes to fix.

Is a Pareto chart the same as a bar chart?

No. A bar chart can keep any order and has no cumulative percent. A Pareto chart must sort by descending count and overlay the running percent. Use the bar chart maker when order is meaningful and you do not need 80/20.

Is this the same as a histogram or a waterfall?

No. A histogram bins one continuous variable. A waterfall adds and subtracts signed steps. A Pareto chart is ranked categorical counts plus a cumulative line.

Does this run ABC analysis or find root causes?

No. Compute or tally the counts in your notebook, then paste them here. It will not classify inventory, run a chi-square test, or draw a fishbone of causes.

Is the Pareto chart generator free?

The precise, table-driven plot is free to use and free to download as SVG, with no sign-up. Sign in only if you want AI illustrations or other ConceptViz generation tools.

Research Tool

Pareto Chart Generator for 80/20 analysis

Free Pareto chart generator. Paste categories and counts to draw the 80/20 bar-and-line chart, then download SVG.

Paste categories and countsSorted bars plus cumulative lineOptional 80% reference lineDownload a watermark-free SVG — free

Paste categories and counts — renders an exact 80/20 bar-and-line chart as SVG, free

Categories and counts

Paste a category column plus a count. The chart sorts largest first. This tool does not run ABC inventory analysis.

6 categories parsed

Title

80% reference line

n=6 · total=106 · first 3 categories reach 80%. The 80/20 split is a visual cutoff — this page does not rank root causes for you.

Pareto Chart Examples

The first four are exact engine renders from tables. The last two are AI illustrations of Illustration mode.

View:

Manufacturing defects

Exact engine render — pasted defect counts, sorted bars plus cumulative line.

paretoqualitydefects

Hospital incidents

Exact engine render — incident types sorted by count.

paretohealthcare

Software bugs

Exact engine render — bug categories ranked largest first.

paretosoftware

Late shipments

Exact engine render — shipment reasons sorted by count.

paretologistics

AI illustration — 80/20

AI illustration of Illustration mode — visual mockup, not plotted from counts.

aiillustration

AI illustration — teaching

AI illustration of Illustration mode — visual mockup, not a fitted cutoff.

aiillustrationteaching

What is a Pareto chart?

A Pareto chart ranks categories by count and overlays the cumulative percent. The tall bars on the left are the vital few; the long tail is the useful many. The name comes from Pareto’s 80/20 observation, later turned into a quality tool by Juran. This page draws that figure from counts you already have. It does not run root-cause analysis, ABC inventory ranking, or a statistical test.

How to read the bars and the 80% line

Paste a category column plus a count, or upload CSV/TSV. The engine sorts largest first. Blue bars are the categories that first reach 80% of the total; gray bars are the remainder. The orange line is cumulative percent on the right axis. The dashed red line is the 80% cutoff — a visual aid, not a decision this page makes for you.
A generic bar chart keeps your original order. A histogram bins a continuous variable. A waterfall shows signed increments. None of those is a Pareto chart.

Pareto chart versus a bar chart or histogram

Use this page when you want ranked frequencies plus a cumulative percent. Use the bar chart maker for grouped or stacked comparisons that should not be re-sorted. Use the histogram maker for a distribution of one numeric variable. Use the fishbone diagram when you already know the vital few and need causes, not counts.

Export

Download a scalable SVG with no watermark and no account required for the precise plot. The AI Illustration tab is only for slides when you do not have counts yet — it will not match your table.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Bar Chart Maker

Need grouped or stacked bars that keep your order? That is a bar chart, not a Pareto chart.

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A histogram bins a continuous variable. Use it when you do not have named categories.

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Fishbone Diagram Generator

After the vital few are visible, map causes on an Ishikawa diagram.

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Waterfall Chart Generator

A waterfall is signed increments, not ranked frequencies. Use it for bridges, not 80/20.

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What is a Pareto chart?

How to read the bars and the 80% line

Paste a category column plus a count, or upload CSV/TSV. The engine sorts largest first. Blue bars are the categories that first reach 80% of the total; gray bars are the remainder. The orange line is cumulative percent on the right axis. The dashed red line is the 80% cutoff — a visual aid, not a decision this page makes for you.

A generic bar chart keeps your original order. A histogram bins a continuous variable. A waterfall shows signed increments. None of those is a Pareto chart.

Pareto chart versus a bar chart or histogram