dumbbell_chart: Create a dumbbell chart.

In ddplot: Create D3 Based SVG Graphics

Create a dumbbell chart.

Description

A dumbbell chart (also called a connected dot plot) displays two values per category as dots connected by a horizontal line. It is ideal for showing the change or gap between two groups, time points, or conditions across multiple categories — a clean alternative to grouped bar charts favoured by outlets such as the New York Times and The Economist.

Usage

dumbbell_chart(
  data,
  x1,
  x2,
  y,
  x1Label = NULL,
  x2Label = NULL,
  col1 = "steelblue",
  col2 = "crimson",
  lineCol = "#aaaaaa",
  lineWidth = 2,
  circleRadius = 6,
  sort = "none",
  xtitle = NULL,
  xtitleFontSize = 13,
  title = NULL,
  titleFontSize = 16,
  xFontSize = 11,
  yFontSize = 11,
  legend = TRUE,
  legendFontSize = 11,
  font = "Verdana, Geneva, Tahoma, sans-serif",
  bgcol = "white",
  axisCol = "black",
  width = NULL,
  height = NULL
)

Arguments

data	The data frame containing the variables to consider.
x1	The name of the column for the first value (left dot).
x2	The name of the column for the second value (right dot).
y	The name of the categorical column used as row labels.
x1Label	Legend label for the first value. Defaults to the value of x1.
x2Label	Legend label for the second value. Defaults to the value of x2.
col1	Color of the first dot. Defaults to "steelblue".
col2	Color of the second dot. Defaults to "crimson".
lineCol	Color of the line connecting the two dots. Defaults to "#aaaaaa".
lineWidth	Width of the connecting line in pixels. Defaults to 2.
circleRadius	Radius of the dots in pixels. Defaults to 6.
sort	Whether to sort the rows. One of "none" (default), "ascending", or "descending", ordered by the x1 value.
xtitle	Optional. Title of the x-axis.
xtitleFontSize	Font size of the x-axis title. Defaults to 13.
title	Optional. Title of the chart.
titleFontSize	Font size of the chart title. Defaults to 16.
xFontSize	Font size of the x-axis tick labels. Defaults to 11.
yFontSize	Font size of the y-axis category labels. Defaults to 11.
legend	Whether to display a legend. Defaults to TRUE.
legendFontSize	Font size of the legend text. Defaults to 11.
font	The font family used for all text. Defaults to "Verdana, Geneva, Tahoma, sans-serif".
bgcol	Background color of the SVG. Defaults to "white".
axisCol	Color of axis lines, ticks, and labels. Defaults to "black".
width	Optional. The width of the SVG output.
height	Optional. The height of the SVG output.

Value

An SVG dumbbell chart.

Examples

# Life expectancy change between 1952 and 2007 for selected countries
life_exp <- data.frame(
  country = c("Brazil", "China", "Egypt", "India",
              "Japan", "Mexico", "Nigeria", "Turkey"),
  year_1952 = c(50.9, 44.0, 41.9, 37.4, 63.0, 50.8, 36.3, 43.6),
  year_2007 = c(72.4, 72.9, 71.3, 64.7, 82.6, 76.2, 46.9, 71.8)
)

dumbbell_chart(
  data     = life_exp,
  x1       = "year_1952",
  x2       = "year_2007",
  y        = "country",
  x1Label  = "1952",
  x2Label  = "2007",
  title    = "Life expectancy: 1952 vs 2007",
  xtitle   = "Life expectancy (years)",
  sort     = "ascending"
)

# Comparing city vs highway fuel economy by car class
library(ggplot2)
library(dplyr)

mpg_summary <- summarise(group_by(mpg, class),
  city = mean(cty), highway = mean(hwy))

dumbbell_chart(
  data    = mpg_summary,
  x1      = "city",
  x2      = "highway",
  y       = "class",
  x1Label = "City",
  x2Label = "Highway",
  col1    = "steelblue",
  col2    = "darkorange",
  title   = "City vs highway fuel economy by class",
  xtitle  = "Miles per gallon",
  sort    = "ascending"
)

ddplot documentation built on Aug. 25, 2026, 5:10 p.m.