Marimekko chart tool for market-size and mix analysis

What is a marimekko chart tool?

A marimekko chart tool turns a two-way table into variable-width stacked columns. Column width shows the size of each main category, and segment height shows the percentage mix inside that category, so rectangle area represents each segment’s share of the full total.

The chart is also called a Mekko chart or mosaic plot. Tableau describes it as a two-dimensional stacked chart made from contiguous bars. Microsoft’s Power BI marketplace describes the Mekko chart as a mix of a 100% stacked column chart and a 100% stacked bar chart in one view. That is the key idea: it combines size and composition in a single visual.

A normal stacked column chart gives every column the same width. A Marimekko chart does not. If North America is 40% of revenue, Europe is 35%, and Asia-Pacific is 25%, the North America column takes 40% of the plot width, Europe takes 35%, and Asia-Pacific takes 25%. If Enterprise is 55% inside North America, that rectangle covers 40% times 55%, or 22% of the total chart area.

When should you use a Marimekko chart?

Use a Marimekko chart when the question has two categorical dimensions and one additive measure. Common examples are region by product, customer segment by channel, vendor by market, portfolio size by asset class, or business unit by revenue stream. The measure must add up cleanly, such as revenue, shipments, units, budget, headcount, or volume.

For example, IDC’s Q1 2026 worldwide smartphone table reports 293.8 million total shipments. Samsung shipped 62.4 million units for 21.2% share, Apple shipped 61.8 million for 21.0%, Xiaomi shipped 33.8 million for 11.5%, OPPO shipped 30.7 million for 10.5%, vivo shipped 21.2 million for 7.2%, and Others shipped 84.0 million for 28.6%. That table is a good one-dimensional market-share source. To become a full Marimekko chart, it would need a second dimension, such as vendor by region or vendor by price tier.

• Good fit: market size by region and product mix within each region.
• Good fit: customer segment size by acquisition channel mix.
• Good fit: vendor share by category when category sizes differ.
• Poor fit: monthly trend data where time should remain equally spaced.
• Poor fit: negative values, because column widths cannot be negative.
• Poor fit: survey responses where people can select multiple answers and totals exceed 100%.

What data does a Marimekko chart tool need?

A Marimekko chart tool needs a matrix: main categories as columns, subcategories as rows, and one numeric measure in every cell. The cells must be non-negative and additive. The tool then calculates each column total, the grand total, each column’s width percentage, and each segment’s height percentage inside its column.

Here is a complete sample dataset for a software revenue mix chart. The main categories are regions. The subcategories are customer segments. The measure is revenue in millions of dollars. North America totals 40.0, Europe totals 35.0, and Asia-Pacific totals 25.0, giving a 100.0 grand total.

Inside North America, Enterprise is 22.0 divided by 40.0, or 55.0% of the column height. Its full-chart area is 22.0 divided by 100.0, or 22.0% of the whole chart. Inside Europe, Enterprise is 14.0 divided by 35.0, or 40.0% of that column. Inside Asia-Pacific, Enterprise is 8.0 divided by 25.0, or 32.0%.

• Column width calculation: column total divided by grand total.
• Segment height calculation: cell value divided by its column total.
• Segment area calculation: cell value divided by grand total.
• Each column’s segment heights must sum to 100%.
• All column widths must sum to 100%.

How do you build a Marimekko chart step by step?

The fastest workflow is to start with a clean matrix, calculate totals, sort columns, and then use a tool that supports variable-width stacked bars. Excel can do it with an add-in or a workaround. Power BI can do it with a custom visual. Tableau can do it with variable-width marks and dashboard construction.

Copy-and-do workflow

• Step 1: Put main categories across columns and subcategories down rows.
• Step 2: Add a column total row and a grand total cell.
• Step 3: Divide each column total by the grand total to get column width.
• Step 4: Divide each cell by its column total to get segment height.
• Step 5: Sort columns from largest width to smallest width.
• Step 6: Keep segment order identical in every column, such as Enterprise, Mid-market, then SMB.
• Step 7: Label the widest and most important rectangles directly; avoid forcing labels into tiny slivers.
• Step 8: Add one plain-English takeaway above the chart, such as North America is the largest region and Enterprise drives most of its revenue.

For the sample data, the rendered chart should show North America as the widest column at 40.0%, Europe second at 35.0%, and Asia-Pacific third at 25.0%. Enterprise should be the tallest segment in North America at 55.0% of that column, while Europe is more balanced with Enterprise at 40.0%, Mid-market at 37.1%, and SMB at 22.9%.

Which Marimekko chart tool should you use?

The right Marimekko chart tool depends on where the chart will live. If your data is already in Excel and the chart will go into a board deck, an Excel or PowerPoint add-in is practical. If your dashboard is in Power BI, a custom Mekko visual is a better fit. If you need a finished editable page or slide asset from a prompt and a table, AnyGen is the fastest path.

Mekko Graphics’ Excel workflow asks you to highlight the data, including total rows, and then choose Marimekko from the Mekko Graphics ribbon. It also supports grouping small values into an Other series, such as grouping values below 25,000 in the example described by Mekko Graphics. Peltier Tech’s Excel workaround uses a stacked area chart with cumulative X-axis values, including whole-number X positions such as 0, 40, 70, 90, and 100.

How can AnyGen create a Marimekko chart?

AnyGen helps when you want more than a raw chart: a page, doc, or slide-ready explanation with the Marimekko chart, source table, takeaway, and steps kept together. Paste the matrix, name the measure, specify the main categories and segments, and ask for an editable Marimekko chart with direct labels.

Prompt to use

Create an editable Marimekko chart from this data. Columns are regions, rows are customer segments, and values are revenue in millions of dollars. Use column width for regional revenue share, segment height for customer mix inside each region, and label the largest rectangles with value and percent. Takeaway: North America is the largest region at 40.0% of revenue, and Enterprise contributes 22.0 million dollars there.

• Use AnyGen when you want the chart plus explanation in one generated deliverable.
• Ask for the source table to remain visible so reviewers can audit the numbers.
• Ask for labels on the largest rectangles only if the chart has small segments.
• Ask for the chart takeaway as a sentence, not just a title.

What makes a Marimekko chart readable?

Readable Marimekko charts are strict about category count, sorting, and labels. Domo’s chart guidance recommends no more than six or seven main categories and four or five segments per category. It also recommends grouping segments below 5% into Other, sorting largest columns to the left, and keeping segment order consistent across columns.

• Use 3 to 7 columns when the chart is for a slide.
• Use 3 to 5 segments per column whenever possible.
• Put the largest column on the left unless a natural order is more important.
• Keep the same color for Enterprise, Mid-market, and SMB in every column.
• Label directly where space allows instead of making readers decode a long legend.
• State the takeaway above the chart because readers often confuse height, width, and area.

For the sample revenue chart, three columns and three segments are readable. The biggest rectangle is North America Enterprise at 22.0% of total revenue. The second-largest is Europe Enterprise at 14.0%, followed by Europe Mid-market at 13.0% and North America Mid-market at 12.0%. Those are the labels that should survive even on a compact slide.

Frequently asked questions