How do I make a pareto chart?

List your categories and their counts, sort them from highest to lowest, and paste the data into the prompt box. Figviz draws the descending bars, adds the cumulative percentage line on a right y-axis, marks the 80% threshold, and labels everything. You can then refine the prompt to adjust colors, titles, or axis labels.

Is the pareto chart maker free?

Yes. Every account starts with free credits you can use to generate pareto charts straight away. Purchasing any pay-as-you-go credit pack removes the watermark and unlocks higher export resolutions up to 4K. Credits never expire.

What is the 80/20 rule in a pareto chart?

The 80/20 rule (also called the Pareto principle) says that roughly 80% of outcomes come from 20% of causes. On a pareto chart the cumulative line makes this visible: the bars where the line crosses 80% are your "vital few" causes. Focusing improvement effort on just those categories typically resolves the majority of the problem.

What is the difference between a pareto chart and a histogram?

A histogram groups continuous numeric data into equal-width bins to show a distribution shape. A pareto chart ranks discrete categories by frequency and adds a cumulative line to highlight relative importance. Use a histogram to understand how data is distributed; use a pareto chart to prioritize which categories to address first.

Can I use a pareto chart for quality control and business analysis?

Yes. Pareto charts are a standard quality tool in Six Sigma and ISO processes for defect root-cause analysis, and they work equally well for business problems like identifying top revenue drivers, most frequent support tickets, or highest-cost expense categories. Any situation where you need to separate the vital few from the trivial many is a good fit.

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Pareto Chart Maker Pareto Charts

Describe your data and get a clean pareto chart in seconds, with descending bars, a cumulative percentage line, and the 80% threshold marked. Perfect for quality analysis, root-cause work, and business reporting.

Last updated: 2026-06-21

✓Descending bars + cumulative line✓80% threshold marked✓Labeled axes and values✓Slide and print ready

Pareto Chart Maker

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Pareto Chart Examples

Browse pareto charts made with Figviz, or generate your own above

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Classic Pareto Chart with Descending Bars

A textbook-style pareto chart with sorted bars, a dual-axis cumulative line, and the vital few causes highlighted.

paretoclassiccumulative line

Defect Root-Cause Pareto (Quality Control)

A quality-control pareto chart identifying the vital few defect types that account for 80% of failures.

qualitydefectsroot cause

Customer Complaints Pareto Chart

A pareto chart pinpointing the top complaint categories driving 80% of customer dissatisfaction.

customer servicecomplaintsbusiness analysis

Sales by Category Pareto Chart

A sales pareto chart revealing which product categories generate 80% of total revenue.

salesrevenuebusiness

Pareto Chart with Dual Axes and Cumulative Labels

A detailed pareto chart with both y-axes labeled and cumulative percentage values annotated on the line.

dual axiscumulative percentagelabeled

Six Sigma Style Pareto Chart

A Six Sigma DMAIC pareto chart used to prioritize process improvement efforts by defect frequency.

six sigmaDMAICprocess improvement

What is a pareto chart maker?

A pareto chart maker is a tool that builds a combined bar-and-line chart that ranks your categories from most to least frequent, then overlays a cumulative percentage line so you can see at a glance which few causes account for 80% of the problem. The chart is named after economist Vilfredo Pareto and the 80/20 rule he observed. With Figviz you describe your data in plain language and get a fully labeled pareto chart in seconds, without touching a spreadsheet or charting library.

How to make a pareto chart

List your categories and the count or frequency for each (for example, defect types and how many times each occurred).

Sort the categories from highest to lowest count.

Describe your data in the prompt box, including a title and what the bars represent.

Choose a style, aspect ratio, and quality, then generate.

Read the bars to see the biggest contributors, and follow the cumulative line to find where you cross the 80% threshold.

Refine the prompt if you want to adjust labels, colors, or the threshold marker.

The 80/20 rule and the cumulative line

The core insight behind a pareto chart is the 80/20 rule: roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. The cumulative percentage line makes this visible. As bars are plotted left to right in descending order, the line climbs steeply at first (the vital few) and then flattens as smaller contributors are added (the trivial many). The point where the line crosses the 80% mark divides the categories you should focus on from those with diminishing returns. This makes pareto charts a standard tool in quality control, Six Sigma, and business analysis.

Tips for a better pareto chart

Include numeric counts for each category in your prompt so the bars are sized accurately. Give the chart a descriptive title (for example "Customer Complaint Types, Q1 2026") to make it self-explanatory when shared. If you have an "Other" category, keep it last even if it is large, because it bundles unrelated items and would distort the analysis if placed first. For quality-engineering contexts, mention that you want the left y-axis labeled with frequencies and the right y-axis with cumulative percentages, so reviewers can read both scales.

Frequently asked questions

A pareto chart maker is a tool that generates a pareto diagram from your data: descending bars ranked by frequency and a cumulative percentage line that shows where the 80% threshold falls. Figviz uses AI to build the chart from a plain text description, so you do not need a spreadsheet or charting software.

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