Excel Pie Chart With Subcategories: How to Make One

To show categories and their subcategories in Excel, select a table with one column for each level and a value column, then choose Insert > Insert Hierarchy Chart > Sunburst. If you specifically want a small secondary pie beside a main pie, use a Pie of Pie chart instead—but it does not automatically display a true parent-and-child hierarchy.

Which Excel chart fits your data?

“A pie chart with subcategories” can mean two different things. You might want to show how a whole is divided into broad groups and then how each group is divided into smaller parts. Or you might want to move a few small slices from a crowded pie into a second chart for easier reading. Excel has a chart type for each job, and choosing the right one is the key to making the result understandable.

Use a Sunburst chart when your data has real levels, such as department and expense type, or product family and product.
Use Pie of Pie when you have one flat list of categories and want some of its slices enlarged in a secondary pie.
Use Bar of Pie when the secondary group is easier to compare as a bar than as another pie.

A standard pie chart represents one series of values. It does not create extra levels just because labels are indented, grouped, or formatted differently. The chart type needs to match the structure of the data.

Prepare a parent-and-subcategory table

For a Sunburst chart, organize the source data as a simple hierarchy: one row per subcategory, with its parent category repeated on every relevant row. Put the amount or count in a separate numeric column. For example, a household spending table could look like this:

Food — Groceries — 300
Food — Dining — 150
Transport — Fuel — 180
Transport — Transit — 120
Housing — Rent — 200
Housing — Utilities — 50

Use column headings such as Category, Subcategory, and Amount, and keep the rows together in a rectangular range. The values in this example add up to 1,000. Food accounts for 450, Transport for 300, and Housing for 250. Excel can use the repeated category labels to build the levels of the chart, while the amounts determine the size of the segments.

Do not add a separate total row for each parent category to the same source range unless you have a specific reason and understand how it affects the chart. The child amounts already add up to the parent totals. Including both parent totals and child values as plotted records can double-count the information. If the data has three or more levels, add one column for each level—for example, Division, Department, Team, and Amount—and make sure each row follows a consistent path through those levels.

Create a Sunburst chart in Excel

Arrange the hierarchy in adjacent columns, with the broadest level on the left and the numeric values in the last column.
Select the full range, including the headings.
On the ribbon, choose Insert > Insert Hierarchy Chart > Sunburst.
Review the chart and use the Chart Design and Format tabs to adjust its layout and appearance.

Excel builds the Sunburst rings from the levels in the selected range. In the spending example, the inner ring shows Food, Transport, and Housing. The outer ring shows their subcategories, such as Groceries and Dining. A group’s outer segments represent its component values; they are not separate pies with independently calculated totals. This makes it possible to see both the broad distribution and the detail in one graphic.

If the chart does not show the levels you expected, check that the category columns are included in the selection and that the values are numeric. Also check for blank cells, stray totals, or inconsistent labels. For example, Excel may treat Food and food as separate labels, even though a reader sees them as the same category. Correct the source table first, then update or recreate the chart if necessary.

Make a Pie of Pie chart for small slices

A Pie of Pie chart is useful for a different problem: a flat list has several small values that are difficult to distinguish in the main pie. Suppose a monthly sales list contains Store A at 40, Store B at 25, Store C at 18, Store D at 10, Online at 4, and Other at 3. The last two slices may be too small to label clearly. A Pie of Pie can place selected points in a second pie and show their combined share as one slice in the primary pie.

Place category names in one column and their values in the next, with one value per category.
Select the data and choose Insert > Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart > Pie of Pie.
To adjust which points appear in the secondary pie, select the series, open Format Data Series, and use the Series Options controls for splitting the series and setting the number or value of points in the second plot.
Use data labels or a legend to identify the categories in both plots, and check that the secondary values are readable.

Excel can split the points by position, value, percentage value, or a custom selection. The exact setting you want depends on the data: splitting by value can move small values, while a custom split gives you control over specific points. The main pie’s combined slice represents the values moved to the second pie. It is not a parent category that Excel has inferred from your labels. If the source data says Store A, Store B, and Online, the chart does not know that Online is a subcategory of a particular store or region.

Format labels and improve readability

Labels matter especially when several categories have similar colors or small segments. Select the chart, then use Chart Design > Add Chart Element to add data labels or a legend. You can also use the plus button beside a selected chart to access chart elements in Windows Excel. The available label options depend on the chart type and Excel version, but useful choices commonly include category name, value, and percentage.

Choose labels that answer the reader’s question without making the chart crowded. If the audience needs to compare exact values, include the values or provide a table alongside the chart. If the main point is relative share, percentages may be more useful. Avoid displaying category name, value, percentage, and leader lines on every tiny slice if the result becomes difficult to scan. For a Pie of Pie, make clear which categories are grouped into the secondary plot; a label such as Other is only helpful if readers know what it contains.

Use a clear title that describes the measure and time period, such as “Household spending by category, April.” Keep the category order meaningful and use consistent colors for the same parent categories where practical. A chart with many subcategories can still be hard to interpret even when the chart type is correct. Combining minor categories is reasonable only when the combined group is defined and documented; do not hide important differences simply to make the graphic look tidy.

Sunburst, Pie of Pie, or doughnut?

These options can look related, but their purposes differ. A Sunburst chart is designed to show hierarchy, with levels arranged in rings. A Pie of Pie chart divides one series between a main pie and a secondary pie, making selected small values more visible. A Bar of Pie uses a bar for the secondary group, which can make individual values easier to compare when the slices are close in size.

A doughnut chart uses rings to show one or more data series, but multiple rings do not automatically establish parent-child relationships. If you need the chart to communicate nested categories, use a hierarchy chart such as Sunburst rather than relying on ring appearance alone. For a simple report with only a few groups, a clustered bar chart may communicate comparisons more clearly than any pie-based chart, particularly when readers need to compare values across categories.

As a practical rule, ask what the secondary level means. If each small item belongs to a particular parent, use a hierarchy chart. If the items are independent categories that are merely too small to show well, consider Pie of Pie or Bar of Pie. If the chart requires a long explanation to establish what each segment means, a table or bar chart may be the better choice.

Common problems and fixes

The Sunburst shows an unexpected extra slice: Look for blank labels, inconsistent category names, or total rows included in the selected data. Correct the source range and refresh or rebuild the chart.
Excel treats values as text: Check that the amount column contains numbers rather than text that looks like numbers. Convert the source values to numeric values before charting.
The secondary pie contains the wrong points: Open Format Data Series and review the split method and second-plot settings. A position-based split can produce a different result after sorting the source data.
Labels overlap: Reduce the number of labels, use a legend, enlarge the chart, or group genuinely minor categories. Do not assume a larger chart will make every small slice legible.
The parent total seems wrong: Check whether you have included both detail rows and subtotal rows. Plotting both can count the same amount twice.

When a chart needs to update as new rows are added, converting the source range to an Excel table with Insert > Table can make the data easier to manage. Still verify that the chart includes newly added rows; chart behavior can depend on how its source range was created and edited.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a pie chart with two levels in Excel?
Yes, use Insert > Insert Hierarchy Chart > Sunburst for a genuine parent-and-subcategory view. A regular pie chart has one series and does not create hierarchy levels from grouped labels.

Does Pie of Pie automatically group subcategories?
No. Pie of Pie moves selected points from one series into a secondary pie. It does not read parent labels or calculate a parent-child structure. Use Sunburst when the relationship between levels matters.

Can I choose which categories go into the second pie?
Yes. Select the Pie of Pie series and adjust its split settings in Format Data Series. Depending on the split method, you can control the number of points, a value threshold, or specific points.

Why are some subcategories missing from my Sunburst chart?
Check the selected data range, blank category cells, text-formatted amounts, and any totals included alongside detail rows. Also confirm that each subcategory has the parent label repeated on its row.

Is a doughnut chart the same as a Sunburst chart?
No. A doughnut chart displays one or more series as rings, but those rings do not inherently represent hierarchy. Sunburst is the chart type intended to display nested levels.

Choose the chart that tells the right story

For actual subcategories, start with a clean, repeated-label hierarchy table and make a Sunburst chart. For a flat list where a few small slices need their own view, create a Pie of Pie or Bar of Pie and set the secondary points deliberately. In either case, check the totals, labels, and category definitions before sharing the workbook. A chart is most useful when its structure reflects the data rather than merely resembling a familiar shape.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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