Pie Charts
Example
%%{init: {'theme': 'neutral'}}%%
pie showData
title
"United States" : 70
"United Kingdom" : 15
"Canada" : 10
"from other countries" : 5
accTitle: Percentage non-native English speakers in major English-speaking countries
accDescr: The pie chart shows the percentage of non-native English speakers in the major English-speaking countries of the world from 2000 to 2002.
Guidelines for Describing Pie Charts
Avoid redundancies
Alternative text should not use the phrases “image of…” or “graphic of…,” or be redundant (use the same description as the body text).
Avoid visual qualities
It’s not necessary to describe the visual attributes of the charts (i.e., orange wedge, gray lines) unless it is an exam question that refers to these attributes.
Order objectively
List numbers from largest to smallest regardless of how they are presented in the image.
Alternative Format Options
Text description with bulleted list works well for most pie charts.
The pie chart shows the percentage of non-native English speakers in the major English-speaking countries of the world from 2000 to 2002.
- 70% from United States
- 15% from United Kingdom
- 10% from Canada
- 5% from other countries
Data tables work when precise values matter or when comparing multiple pie charts.
| Country | Percentage |
|---|---|
| United States | 70% |
| United Kingdom | 15% |
| Canada | 10% |
| Other countries | 5% |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Describing colors instead of data — “The blue section is largest” tells a screen reader user nothing
- Omitting the total — Always clarify what 100% represents
- Listing in visual order — Order by size (largest to smallest) for clarity, not by clockwise position
Where to Place the Description
Give the description a heading and reference it in the alt text, or otherwise make sure the relationship between the description and image is clear. If the description is placed at the end of the document use #heading reference links to move back and forth.