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Pareto Sparklines

Pareto sparklines are compact visualizations that illustrate the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule). They combine column bars and a cumulative line to highlight which categories contribute the most to a total outcome. Bars represent individual categories (such as sales by product or defects by type), while the cumulative line shows the running total as a percentage.

When to use pareto sparklines​

  • Identifying key contributors: Show which categories contribute the most to an overall result, helping you focus on the few factors that drive the majority of the impact.
  • Tracking cumulative progress: Visualize how smaller contributions build toward a total, making it easier to spot thresholds, milestones, or turning points.
  • Analyzing distributions: Understand how different values accumulate over time or across categories to reveal patterns in how results are formed.

Create a pareto sparkline​

  1. On the Insert tab, select Sparklines.
  2. Under Bar Sparkline, select Insert Pareto Sparkline. The Create Sparklines dialog opens.
  3. In Data Range, select a continuous range of cells (in the same row or column).
  4. In Location Range, select the cell where the sparkline will appear.
  5. Click Ok. The sparkline is inserted into the selected cell.

Edit a pareto sparkline​

  1. Select the pareto sparkline in your workbook.
  2. On the Sparkline tab, select Settings. The ParetoSparkline Setting dialog opens.
  3. Set the parameters, then click Ok.
  4. Copy and paste the sparkline cell to duplicate the configuration in another location, as needed.

Pareto sparkline parameters​

The pareto sparkline formula supports the following format:

=PARETOSPARKLINE(points, pointIndex, colorRange, target, target2, highlightPosition, label, vertical, targetColor, target2Color, labelColor, barSize)
ParameterDescription
PointsDefine the range of cells containing values, such as A1:A4. Invalid or empty values are treated as 0.
PointIndexSet the index of the current segment (starting at 1). Accepts a number or cell reference.
ColorRange(Optional) Define a range of colors for each segment, such as D2:D7. Default: null.
HighlightPosition(Optional) Set the rank of a segment to highlight in red. Accepts a number or cell reference. Default: null.
Target(Optional) Set the position of the first target line. Accepts a number or cell reference. Default: null.
Target2(Optional) Set the position of the second target line. Accepts a number or cell reference. Default: null.
Label(Optional) Define how labels appear: None, Single, or Cumulated.
Vertical(Optional) Display the sparkline vertically.
Additional formula parameters(Optional) Customize the sparkline appearance:

  • targetColor – Set the color of the first target line.
  • target2Color – Set the color of the second target line.
  • labelColor – Set the color of the label text.
  • barSize – Set the bar thickness relative to the cell height or width. Value range: 0 to 1.