⏱ Quick start

There are 2 main ways to build an area chart with Matplotlib. In both case it requires 2 numeric vectors of values as input.

• The fill_between() function
• The stackplot() function that is more useful for stacked area charts

The most basic area chart one can make with python and matplotlib

# library
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Create data
x=range(1,6)
y=[1,4,6,8,4]

# Area plot
plt.fill_between(x, y)
plot.show()

Area chart with Matplotlib

Matplotlib is a great fit to build an area chart thanks to its fill_between() function. Here are a few examples explaining its basics and how to apply some common customization.

The most basic area chart one can make with python and matplotlib

Control chart color (Matplotlib)

Control line color

Add patterns to your area chart

Fill the gap between 2 line charts

Area chart with custom grid

Area chart with Seaborn

Seaborn is another great alternative to build an area chart with python. The below examples show how to start basic, apply usual customization, and use the small multiple technique for when you have several groups to compare.

Area chart with small multiple, seaborn

Best area chart examples

The web is full of astonishing charts made by awesome bloggers, (often using R). The Python graph gallery tries to display (or translate from R) some of the best creations and explain how their source code works. If you want to display your work here, please drop me a word or even better, submit a Pull Request!

Display 2 line charts and fill the area between both. Also uses faceting to split by groups.

A clean stacked area chart with smoothing, inline labels, caption, color palette and more

Plotly line chart with many customization

A minimalist area chart with clean annotations and style