Butterfly Chart Maker
Compare two groups back to back across the same categories: women and men by age band, this year and last by region, two products by feature. Paste the numbers and download an editable PowerPoint slide.
Butterfly: two groups compared back to back across the same categories.
| Category | Women | Men | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
PNG is free. A free account adds the editable PowerPoint and SVG.
Want a designer-made version? Browse editable chart templates
A butterfly chart puts two horizontal bar charts back to back, so two groups can be compared category by category. The categories run down the middle, one group's bars grow to the left and the other's to the right, and the shape that results looks like a pair of wings. It's also called a back-to-back bar chart, a mirror bar chart or a diverging bar chart.
Use it when the question is "how do these two groups differ across the same categories?" Typical slides compare women and men by age band in an HR report, two survey audiences on the same questions, sales by region this year and last, or two products on the same features. Demographers draw the same shape as a population pyramid, with age bands from youngest at the bottom to oldest at the top.
To make one here, name the two groups, paste or type one row per category with a value for each side, and choose whether the category labels sit in the middle or on the left. Keep the categories in their natural order, such as age bands, or sort them by the total or by either side. Both halves share one scale, so a longer bar always means a bigger number.
A butterfly chart is not the same as a tornado chart, even though the two look alike. A tornado chart ranks how much each input moves one result in a sensitivity analysis; switch the tool to Tornado to make that instead. SlideModel's guide also shows how to build a butterfly chart in PowerPoint by hand with a stacked bar chart and negative values. Here, the PowerPoint download gives you every bar and label as an editable shape.
Frequently asked questions
What is a butterfly chart used for?
A butterfly chart compares two groups across the same categories, with one group's bars on the left and the other's on the right. Common uses are workforce demographics by age band and gender, survey answers from two audiences, sales by region in two years, and two products compared feature by feature.
How do I make a butterfly chart in Excel or PowerPoint?
Neither has a butterfly chart type. The usual workaround is a stacked bar chart with one group entered as negative values, the number format 0;0 to hide the minus signs, and matching axis bounds on both sides. Or paste the two columns here and download an editable PowerPoint slide.
What's the difference between a butterfly chart and a tornado chart?
A butterfly chart compares two groups across categories and usually keeps the categories in their natural order. A tornado chart ranks the inputs of a sensitivity analysis by how much each moves one result, so it's always sorted widest first. This tool makes both.
Is a population pyramid a butterfly chart?
Yes. A population pyramid is a butterfly chart of a population by age band, usually with men on the left, women on the right and the youngest band at the bottom. Enter your age bands from oldest to youngest so the youngest sits at the bottom of the chart.
Can I edit the butterfly chart in PowerPoint?
Yes. With a free account, the PowerPoint download draws every bar as a rectangle and every label as a text box, so you can recolor, resize or retype anything. The speaker notes keep your data so you can paste it back here later.