A bump chart is a type of chart that shows rankings of different groups over time
This tutorial provides a step-by-step example of how to create the following bump chart in Excel:
Let’s jump in!
Step 1: Enter the Data
First, let’s enter the following dataset that shows the rankings of 5 different basketball teams during 8 different games:
Step 2: Insert the Bump Chart
Next, highlight the range A1:I6, then click the Insert tab along the top ribbon, then click the icon called Line with Markers within the Charts group:
The following bump chart will be created:
The games are shown along the x-axis and the rankings of the teams at the time of each game are shown along the y-axis.
Step 3: Customize the Bump Chart
Next, we need to reveres the y-axis order so that a ranking of 1 is shown at the top of the graph.
To do so, right click on any of the values on the y-axis and click Format Axis from the dropdown menu.
In the Format Axis panel that appears on the right side of the screen, check the box next to Values in reverse order, then type in 1 for the Minimum bound, 5 for the Maximum bound and 1 for the Major units:
Then right click on the x-axis values and click Format Axis from the dropdown menu.
In the Format Axis panel, choose High for the Label Position:
The axes will be displayed accordingly:
Lastly, feel free to add a title, modify the line colors, and add a y-axis label to make the chart easier to read:
Additional Resources
The following tutorials explain how to create other common visualizations in Excel:
Excel: How to Create a Diverging Stacked Bar Chart
Excel: Create Chart to Show Difference Between Two Series
Excel: How to Sort Bars in Bart Chart
