How to Create Bubble Chart in Excel (2 Suitable Ways)

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The Bubble Chart is a type of scatter plot chart that replaces data points with bubbles. It has horizontal and vertical axis like the scatter plot chart and also has an additional dimension of data that represents the size of the bubble. It is really useful to represent your dataset of 3 variables in a single plot. In this article, we will learn how to create bubble chart in Excel in 2 suitable ways.


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How to Create Bubble Chart in Excel: 2 Suitable Examples

We can create 2D and 3D bubble charts in Excel with single or multiple series of data. In this article, we will learn how to create Bubble Chart in Excel with 2D and 3D bubble charts. Also, we will learn how to create a bubble chart with multiple series of data.


1. Create 2D Bubble Chart in Excel

In order to create a 2D bubble chart in Excel, we will need a dataset like the below one. The dataset contains Marketing Expenses, Sales, and Profit of 5 products of a shop. We will create a 2D bubble chart keeping Marketing Expense as the horizontal axis, Sales as the vertical axis, and Profit as the size of the bubble.

Sample dataset to show how to create bubble chart in Excel

Steps:

  • First, click on the Insert tab.
  • Next, click on the Insert Scatter (X, Y) or Bubble Chart drop-down option.
  • After that, choose the Bubble option like the image below.

Create 2D Bubble Chart in Excel

  • As a result, it will open an empty plot.
  • Subsequently, right-click on the empty plot.
  • Now, click on the Select Data Source option from the pop-up window.

Create 2D Bubble Chart in Excel

  • After that, the Select Data Source window will pop up.
  • Now, click on the Add option like the image below.

Create 2D Bubble Chart in Excel

  • Next, type Effect of Marketing Expense on Sales and Profit in the Series name field.
  • After that, click on the Select Range in the Series X values field.

Create 2D Bubble Chart in Excel

  • Subsequently, select the cells ($C$5:$C$9) from Marketing Expense and complete the range.

Create 2D Bubble Chart in Excel

  • After that, click on the Select Range in the Series Y values option like the image below.

Create 2D Bubble Chart in Excel

  • Furthermore, select the cells ($D$5:$D$9) from Sales and complete the range.

Create 2D Bubble Chart in Excel

  • Then, click on the Select Range in the Series bubble size option like the below one.

Create 2D Bubble Chart in Excel

  • Afterward, select the cells ($E$5:$E$9) from Profit and complete the range.

  • After selecting the X, Y, and bubble size values, click OK.

  • As a result, you will see a 2D bubble chart like below.

  • After that, in order to modify the chart, select the chart.
  • Next, click on the ‘+’ sign.

  • As a result, it will open the Chart Element window.
  • Then, select the Axis Title and Data Labels options like the image below.

Hope, you’ve now got a clear idea of how to create bubble chart in excel with the help of this 2D chart.

Read More: Excel Bubble Chart Size Based on Value (2 Suitable Examples)


2. Insert 3D Bubble Chart in Excel

In order to insert a 3D bubble chart in Excel, you need to follow the above-described steps. Once your 2D bubble chart is ready, you can create a 3D bubble chart from the 2D chart. To make a 3D bubble chart, follow the steps below.

Insert 3D Bubble Chart in Excel

Steps:

  • First, select the 2D bubble chart.
  • Next, click on the Insert tab.
  • Then, click on the Insert Scatter (X, Y) or Bubble Chart drop-down option.
  • After that, choose the 3-D Bubble option like the image below.

Insert 3D Bubble Chart in Excel

  • As a result, you will see a 3D bubble chart like the below one.

Read More: How to Create a Bubble Matrix in Excel (with Easy Steps)


How to Create Bubble Chart in Excel with Multiple Series

We can also create a bubble chart with multiple series of data. Here is an example of how to create a bubble chart in Excel with multiple series of data. We have 2 series of data of 2 shops having Marketing Expense, Sales and Profit of 4 products. Now we will create a bubble chart from these 2 series of data.

Create Bubble Chart in Excel with Multiple Series

Steps:

  • First, click on the Insert tab.
  • Next, click on the Insert Scatter (X, Y) or Bubble Chart drop-down option.
  • Afterward, choose the Bubble option like the image below.

Create Bubble Chart in Excel with Multiple Series

  • As a result, it will open an empty plot.
  • After that, right-click on the empty plot.
  • Now, click on the Select Data option from the pop-up window.

Create Bubble Chart in Excel with Multiple Series

  • Hence, the above action will open a new window named Select Data Source.
  • Now, click on the Add option like the image below.

Create Bubble Chart in Excel with Multiple Series

  • Next, select the Series name, Series X values, Series Y values, and Series Bubble size in the same way as the 2D bubble chart method for Shop 1 dataset.
  • Then, click OK.

Create Bubble Chart in Excel with Multiple Series

  • Next, click on the Add option again.

Create Bubble Chart in Excel with Multiple Series

  • Furthermore, select the Series name, Series X values, Series Y values, and Series Bubble size in the same way as the 2D bubble chart method for Shop 2 dataset.
  • Hence, click OK.

Create Bubble Chart in Excel with Multiple Series

  • As a result, the Select Data Source window will pop up.
  • Then, click OK.

  • As a result, you will see a 2D bubble chart with 2 series of data each having a different color.

  • After that, in order to modify the chart, select the chart.
  • Next, click on the ‘+’ sign.

  • As a result, it will open the Chart Element window.

  • Then, select the Axis Title, Data Labels, and Legend options like the image below.

  • Finally, change the axis titles as you want and your bubble chart with multiple series of data is ready.

Read More: How to Color Excel Bubble Chart Based on Value (2 Easy Methods)


Things to Remember

  • If you want to represent your dataset of 3 variables in a single plot, then a bubble chart is the best option for you.
  • In order to insert a 3D bubble chart, you need to create a 2D bubble chart first.
  • After creating the bubble chart (2D or 3D), you can modify the chart in your own way.
  • A 3D bubble chart with multiple series of data can also be created from a 2D bubble chart with multiple series of data.

Conclusion

Hence, follow the above-described methods. Thus, you can easily learn how to create bubble chart in Excel. Hope this will be helpful. Follow the ExcelDemy website for more articles like this. Don’t forget to drop your comments, suggestions, or queries in the comment section below.


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Md. Asaduzzaman
Md. Asaduzzaman

Hello! I am Md. Asaduzzaman. Currently, I am working as an Excel and VBA Content Developer and I will be posting my articles related to this here. I graduated from Bangladesh University of Science and Technology(BUET) in 2022. I completed my BSc in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. I like to solve real-life problems in Microsoft Excel and share the solutions through articles. I post here regularly. Hope you find the articles helpful.

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