How to Create a Marimekko Chart in Excel (Mekko Chart)
Excel has no native Marimekko chart, mekko chart, or mosaic chart type. The workaround uses a 100% stacked area chart with a step-function helper table — a data structure that tricks Excel into rendering variable-width columns. This is one of the more demanding chart workarounds in Excel, requiring pre-calculated cumulative positions and careful row duplication. Budget 30–45 minutes the first time.
What is a marimekko chart in Excel?
A Marimekko chart (also called a mekko chart or mosaic plot) is a two-dimensional 100% stacked chart. Column width represents one variable (typically category size or total), and the height of segments within each column represents the distribution of another variable (typically segment share). Both dimensions are meaningful simultaneously — a wide column with a tall segment is a dominant combination. Excel's stacked bar chart uses equal-width columns and can't represent the width dimension natively, requiring the area chart workaround.
6 steps to make a marimekko chart in Excel
Prepare your source data matrix
Start with a table where columns are your main categories (e.g. product lines, regions) and rows are segments within each category (e.g. customer types). Each cell is the count or value for that segment-category combination. Add a column for grand totals to calculate widths.
Calculate column widths as percentages
For each category column, sum all segment values to get the column total. Divide each column total by the grand total to get its proportional width. Example: if Category A totals 300 out of a grand total of 1000, its width is 30%. These widths determine how much horizontal space each column occupies in the final chart.
Calculate cumulative X positions
Compute the cumulative start and end X position for each column. Category A: starts at 0, ends at 30. Category B: starts at 30, ends at 70. Category C: starts at 70, ends at 100. Each column occupies the range [cumulative start, cumulative end] on the X axis.
Build the step-function helper table
This is the critical step. For each category, you need two rows in the helper table — one at the left edge (X = cumulative start) and one at the right edge (X = cumulative end). Both rows contain the same segment percentages for that category. Add a blank row or duplicate rows between categories to create clean vertical boundaries. The segment percentages within each column should sum to 100% — convert raw values to within-column percentages before entering them.
Insert a 100% Stacked Area chart
Select your helper table → Insert → Charts → Insert Area Chart → 100% Stacked Area. Excel creates a chart where each area band represents one segment row. The step-function rows create the flat-topped, variable-width column appearance.
Set X-axis values to cumulative positions
Right-click the chart → Select Data → under Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels → Edit → select your cumulative X position column (the one that goes 0, 0, 30, 30, 70, 70, 100, 100 for a three-column chart). This aligns the chart's X axis to the actual column widths.
Format and add labels
Remove all area series borders (right-click → Format Data Series → Border: No Line) for clean column edges. Add vertical column dividers by inserting a thin bar chart series at the column boundaries. Set fill colors per segment using your brand palette. Add data labels inside each area band via Chart Elements — position them at center. Add category names above each column using text boxes.
When to use a marimekko chart in Excel
Market share by segment and market size
Column width = total market size, column height segments = competitor share within that market. One chart shows which markets are largest and which competitors dominate each.
Revenue by product line and customer type
Column width = product line total revenue, segments = customer type breakdown. Identifies which product lines are largest and which customer segments drive each one.
Portfolio analysis
Column width = investment category size, segments = performance buckets. Shows where capital is concentrated and how it's distributed across performance tiers.
BCG-style strategy presentations
Marimekko charts are a standard tool in McKinsey, BCG, and Bain strategy decks. The simultaneous encoding of two dimensions makes market structure arguments more compact than two separate charts.
Components of a marimekko chart in Excel
Column width
Proportional to the category's share of the total across all categories. A wider column represents a larger total. This is the first dimension encoded.
Segment height
Each colored band within a column represents a segment's share of that column's total (100% stacked). Taller bands are larger segments. This is the second dimension encoded.
Step-function data structure
The helper table Excel requires. Each category needs two identical rows at its left and right X boundaries. This creates the flat-top, sharp-edge appearance of each column.
Cumulative X positions
Pre-calculated column start and end positions (0–100 scale). Passed to Excel's horizontal axis labels to set variable column widths.
Why the Excel Marimekko Workaround Is Complex
The core challenge is that Excel's native chart types don't support variable-width bars. Stacked bar charts use equal column widths — you can't control width per column. The area chart workaround sidesteps this by treating column boundaries as X-axis positions and using duplicated rows to create flat tops, but it requires manual pre-calculation of all percentages and positions before you even open the chart dialog.
For one-time presentations this is worth learning. For recurring reports, consider a dedicated tool. AECharts' Marimekko chart maker accepts the raw data matrix directly — no helper tables, no cumulative position calculations. Paste your data, export as animated video or static image in under a minute.
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