What Is a Treemap?

This chart turns structured data into a visual pattern that is faster to scan than a raw table.

Use it when the reader should understand shape, comparison, distribution, proportion, or movement quickly.

Start With the Raw Data

Most charts begin with a small, structured table before the visual layer is added:

Label Value A Value B
Example 1 24 31
Example 2 30 28
Example 3 18 36

The raw values stay the same, but the visual structure makes patterns easier to spot: highs, lows, clusters, gaps, and unusual changes.

What This Chart Helps You See

Business reporting
Operational monitoring
Decision support

Common Ways to Use a Treemap

  • Explain a business dataset more clearly than a plain table.
  • Show comparison, trend, distribution, or relationships depending on the chart type.
  • Support dashboards, reports, SEO articles, and stakeholder presentations.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I trim the number of values?

Too many points overwhelm viewers. Keep x-axis labels readable and rumble the data into summary points when possible.

How to Use the Live Example Below

Change the editable cells in the live example and save to see how the chart responds.

Visualising Relative Sizes

Treemaps display hierarchical data as a set of nested rectangles. Each branch of the tree is given a rectangle, which is then tiled with smaller rectangles representing sub-branches. A leaf node's rectangle has an area proportional to a specified dimension of the data.

Sales Distribution Treemap

Treemaps are excellent for identifying the largest contributors in a large dataset where a pie chart would become too cluttered.

When to Use a Treemap?

  • To display very large amounts of hierarchical data.
  • When you have too many categories for a pie or bar chart.
  • To spot patterns and outliers across multiple levels of data.

Visualise Complex Data?

I specialize in making complex datasets easy to understand through advanced visualisation techniques. If your business deals with multi-layered data that needs clear reporting, let's talk about how a custom dashboard can help.