Plotly Waterfall Chart
Plotly's native waterfall chart with automatic running totals, connector lines, and color-coded increases/decreases. Great for financial analysis and P&L breakdowns.
Template details
- chart
- waterfall
- financial
- breakdown
- plotly
When to use this template
A waterfall chart effectively illustrates how an initial value is impacted by a series of sequential positive and negative contributions, culminating in a final value. It helps analysts quickly identify the magnitude and direction of individual changes driving a net effect, making the composition of a total clear and understandable. This visualization is ideal for dissecting complex financial statements or any process where a starting quantity transforms through distinct stages.
- Ordered categorical labels representing sequential stages or contributors.
- A single series of numerical values, both positive and negative.
- Data representing additive or subtractive changes to a running total.
- Clear definition of initial and final absolute values.
- Datasets with a moderate number of categories (e.g., 5-15 steps).
- Values representing quantities or monetary amounts in a consistent unit.