How to Create Plotly Pie Chart in Python: Simple Guide

To create a pie chart in Python using plotly, use plotly.express.pie() by passing your data and labels as arguments. This function quickly generates an interactive pie chart that you can display with fig.show().

Syntax

The basic syntax to create a pie chart with Plotly Express is:

• plotly.express.pie(data_frame, names, values): Creates the pie chart.
• data_frame: Your data source, usually a pandas DataFrame.
• names: The column or list that contains the labels for each slice.
• values: The column or list that contains the numeric values for each slice.
• fig.show(): Displays the interactive pie chart.

python

import plotly.express as px

fig = px.pie(data_frame, names='label_column', values='value_column')
fig.show()

Example

This example shows how to create a simple pie chart with labels and values using Plotly Express. It demonstrates how to visualize the distribution of fruit quantities.

python

import plotly.express as px

# Sample data
fruits = ['Apples', 'Oranges', 'Bananas', 'Grapes']
quantities = [30, 20, 40, 10]

# Create pie chart
fig = px.pie(names=fruits, values=quantities, title='Fruit Quantities')
fig.show()

Output

An interactive pie chart window showing four slices labeled Apples, Oranges, Bananas, and Grapes with sizes proportional to 30, 20, 40, and 10 respectively.

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when creating Plotly pie charts include:

• Not passing names and values correctly, which causes errors or empty charts.
• Using mismatched lengths for labels and values lists.
• Forgetting to call fig.show(), so the chart does not display.
• Passing data in unsupported formats instead of lists or DataFrame columns.

python

import plotly.express as px

# Wrong: mismatched lengths
fruits = ['Apples', 'Oranges']
quantities = [30, 20, 40]  # Extra value

# This will cause an error or unexpected behavior
# fig = px.pie(names=fruits, values=quantities)
# fig.show()

# Correct way
fruits = ['Apples', 'Oranges', 'Bananas']
quantities = [30, 20, 40]
fig = px.pie(names=fruits, values=quantities)
fig.show()

Quick Reference

Here is a quick summary of key parameters for px.pie():

Parameter	Description
data_frame	Data source (pandas DataFrame)
names	Labels for pie slices (column name or list)
values	Numeric values for slices (column name or list)
title	Chart title (string)
color	Optional: color grouping
hole	Optional: size of hole for donut charts (0 to 1)

Key Takeaways

Use plotly.express.pie() with names and values to create pie charts easily.

Always call fig.show() to display the chart.

Ensure labels and values have matching lengths to avoid errors.

You can customize the chart with parameters like title and hole for donut style.

Plotly pie charts are interactive and great for visualizing proportions.