Stacked Area

Cars, motorcycles and bicycles from 2007 to 2025 as three stacked areas, so the top edge is the total. Shaded bands mark two events at the biggest drops.

  • Try it:
  • Hover a year for all three values
  • Click a legend item to hide it
Get the code JavaScript JSON
About this chart

When to stack areas

A stacked area shows a total and what it is made of, over time. The top edge tracks the total and each band one part, so a fall in the whole shows which part caused it. Notes on the time axis, like the shaded bands here, explain the turns.

Good for

  • Totals with a few parts, like sales by region
  • Showing which part drove a change
  • Telling a story with notes on the timeline

Think twice when

  • Comparing the upper bands: they have no flat base, so use lines
  • Many thin parts: group the small ones
  • Shares rather than amounts: use a 100% stacked area
For developers

Get the code.

Built with amCharts 5, a JavaScript library. The JavaScript includes your theme and renderer (canvas or SVG); the JSON also follows the changes you make with the controls.

Docs:Stacked seriesAxis rangesLegendLine and fill settings
// Create root element
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/getting-started/#Root_element
var root = am5.Root.new("chartdiv");

// Set themes
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/concepts/themes/
root.setThemes([
  am5themes_Animated.new(root),
  am5themes_Responsive.new(root)
]);

// Create chart
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/xy-chart/
var chart = root.container.children.push(am5xy.XYChart.new(root, {
  // a drag zooms (the cursor's behavior), so the chart itself doesn't pan
  panX: false,
  panY: false,
  wheelX: "panX",             // a horizontal wheel or trackpad swipe pans...
  wheelY: "zoomX",            // ...and the vertical wheel zooms in on the years
  pinchZoomX: true,           // pinch to zoom the years on a touch screen
  paddingLeft: 0,             // no gap at the chart's left edge
  layout: root.verticalLayout // the legend goes below the plot
}));

// Add cursor
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/xy-chart/cursor/
var cursor = chart.set("cursor", am5xy.XYCursor.new(root, {
  // drag across the plot to zoom in on those years
  behavior: "zoomX"
}));
cursor.lineY.set("visible", false); // no horizontal cursor line, only the vertical one

// The data
var data = [{
  "year": "2007",
  "cars": 1587,
  "motorcycles": 650,
  "bicycles": 121
}, {
  "year": "2008",
  "cars": 1567,
  "motorcycles": 683,
  "bicycles": 146
}, {
  "year": "2009",
  "cars": 1617,
  "motorcycles": 691,
  "bicycles": 138
}, {
  "year": "2010",
  "cars": 1630,
  "motorcycles": 642,
  "bicycles": 127
}, {
  "year": "2011",
  "cars": 1660,
  "motorcycles": 699,
  "bicycles": 105
}, {
  "year": "2012",
  "cars": 1683,
  "motorcycles": 721,
  "bicycles": 109
}, {
  "year": "2013",
  "cars": 1691,
  "motorcycles": 737,
  "bicycles": 112
}, {
  "year": "2014",
  "cars": 1298,
  "motorcycles": 680,
  "bicycles": 101
}, {
  "year": "2015",
  "cars": 1275,
  "motorcycles": 664,
  "bicycles": 97
}, {
  "year": "2016",
  "cars": 1246,
  "motorcycles": 648,
  "bicycles": 93
}, {
  "year": "2017",
  "cars": 1318,
  "motorcycles": 697,
  "bicycles": 111
}, {
  "year": "2018",
  "cars": 1213,
  "motorcycles": 633,
  "bicycles": 87
}, {
  "year": "2019",
  "cars": 1199,
  "motorcycles": 621,
  "bicycles": 79
}, {
  "year": "2020",
  "cars": 1110,
  "motorcycles": 210,
  "bicycles": 81
}, {
  "year": "2021",
  "cars": 1165,
  "motorcycles": 232,
  "bicycles": 75
}, {
  "year": "2022",
  "cars": 1145,
  "motorcycles": 219,
  "bicycles": 88
}, {
  "year": "2023",
  "cars": 1163,
  "motorcycles": 201,
  "bicycles": 82
}, {
  "year": "2024",
  "cars": 1180,
  "motorcycles": 285,
  "bicycles": 87
}, {
  "year": "2025",
  "cars": 1159,
  "motorcycles": 277,
  "bicycles": 71
}];

// Create axes
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/xy-chart/axes/
var xAxis = chart.xAxes.push(am5xy.CategoryAxis.new(root, {
  categoryField: "year",
  // the axis starts and ends in the middle of the first and last year, so no half cells stay empty
  startLocation: 0.5,
  endLocation: 0.5,
  renderer: am5xy.AxisRendererX.new(root, {
    minorGridEnabled: true, // fainter grid lines between the labeled years
    minGridDistance: 70     // at least 70px between the labels
  }),
  tooltip: am5.Tooltip.new(root, {}) // shows the cursor's year on the axis
}));

xAxis.data.setAll(data);

// The stack starts at zero, so each band's height shows its true size
var yAxis = chart.yAxes.push(am5xy.ValueAxis.new(root, {
  min: 0,
  renderer: am5xy.AxisRendererY.new(root, {
    pan: "zoom" // drag along the axis to zoom it
  })
}));

// Add series
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/xy-chart/series/

// adds one stacked area for a field of the data
function createSeries(name, field) {
  var series = chart.series.push(am5xy.LineSeries.new(root, {
    name: name,
    xAxis: xAxis,
    yAxis: yAxis,
    stacked: true, // the main trick: each area sits on top of the ones before it
    valueYField: field,
    categoryXField: "year",
    tooltip: am5.Tooltip.new(root, {
      pointerOrientation: "horizontal",                   // the tooltip points sideways at the area
      labelText: "[bold]{name}[/]\n{categoryX}: {valueY}" // the area's name, then the year and its value
    })
  }));

  series.fills.template.setAll({
    fillOpacity: 0.5, // half see-through...
    visible: true     // ...and turned on: line series have no fill by default
  });

  series.data.setAll(data);
  series.appear(1000);
}

createSeries("Cars", "cars");
createSeries("Motorcycles", "motorcycles");
createSeries("Bicycles", "bicycles");

// Add scrollbar
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/xy-chart/scrollbars/
chart.set("scrollbarX", am5.Scrollbar.new(root, {
  orientation: "horizontal" // above the plot; zooms the years
}));

// Add legend
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/xy-chart/legend-xy-series/
var legend = chart.children.push(am5.Legend.new(root, {
  centerX: am5.p50, // centered...
  x: am5.p50        // ...under the chart
}));

legend.data.setAll(chart.series.values);

// Create axis ranges
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/xy-chart/axes/axis-ranges/
// in the theme's text color, so they show in every theme and in dark mode
var rangeColor = root.interfaceColors.get("alternativeBackground");

var rangeDataItem = xAxis.makeDataItem({
  category: "2014",   // a range from 2014...
  endCategory: "2016" // ...through 2016
});

var range = xAxis.createAxisRange(rangeDataItem);

rangeDataItem.get("grid").setAll({
  stroke: rangeColor,  // a grid line at the range's start...
  strokeOpacity: 0.5,  // ...half see-through...
  strokeDasharray: [3] // ...and dashed
});

rangeDataItem.get("axisFill").setAll({
  fill: rangeColor,  // a faint band over the range...
  fillOpacity: 0.08,
  visible: true      // ...shown: axis fills are hidden by default
});

// a vertical label inside the plot, at the start of the range
rangeDataItem.get("label").setAll({
  inside: true,
  text: "Fines for speeding increased",
  rotation: 90, // turned to read from top to bottom
  centerX: am5.p100,
  centerY: am5.p100,
  location: 0,
  paddingBottom: 10,
  paddingRight: 15
});

var rangeDataItem2 = xAxis.makeDataItem({
  category: "2020" // a single year
});

var range2 = xAxis.createAxisRange(rangeDataItem2);

rangeDataItem2.get("grid").setAll({
  stroke: rangeColor,
  strokeOpacity: 1, // a fully opaque dashed line
  strokeDasharray: [3]
});

rangeDataItem2.get("axisFill").setAll({
  fill: rangeColor, // the same faint band
  fillOpacity: 0.08,
  visible: true
});

rangeDataItem2.get("label").setAll({
  inside: true,
  text: "Motorcycle fee introduced",
  rotation: 90,
  centerX: am5.p100,
  centerY: am5.p100,
  location: 0,
  paddingBottom: 10,
  paddingRight: 15
});

// Make stuff animate on load
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/concepts/animations/
chart.appear(1000, 100);

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