How do I create a horizontal bar chart in R with ggplot2?

Use geom_col() + coord_flip() from the ggplot2 package. Variables needed: 1 categorical + 1 numerical.

What data types work with a horizontal bar chart?

A horizontal bar chart works best with categorical, numerical data. It requires 1 categorical + 1 numerical.

ComparisonRanking CategoricalNumerical

Horizontal Bar Chart

ggplot2: geom_col() + coord_flip() · Package: ggplot2 · Variables: 1 categorical + 1 numerical

WHAT IS A HORIZONTAL BAR CHART?

A horizontal bar chart flips the standard bar chart on its side, with categories on the y-axis and values extending horizontally. This orientation is particularly useful when category labels are long (like country names or product descriptions) since they read naturally from left to right. Horizontal bars are also the go-to choice for ranked or sorted data — such as "top 10 products by revenue" — because the eye naturally follows the ranked order from top to bottom. In R with ggplot2, create horizontal bars by adding coord_flip() to a standard geom_col() chart.

BEST FOR

· Many categories (10-30)
· Long category labels
· Top-N lists
· Ranked data

AVOID WHEN

· Very few categories
· Time-series data

R + GGPLOT2 CODE EXAMPLE

ggplot2

df <- data.frame(car = rownames(mtcars)[1:10], mpg = mtcars$mpg[1:10])
ggplot(df, aes(x = reorder(car, mpg), y = mpg)) +
  geom_col(fill = "#ff6a00") +
  coord_flip() +
  labs(title = "MPG by Car", x = NULL, y = "MPG")