{"id":20157,"date":"2020-08-10T11:45:27","date_gmt":"2020-08-10T10:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.highcharts.com\/blog\/?p=20157"},"modified":"2026-01-13T09:58:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T09:58:52","slug":"density-chart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highcharts.com\/blog\/tutorials\/density-chart\/","title":{"rendered":"Density chart"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this tutorial, we will show you how to create multiple density plots, also know as ridgeline plot, using the Area Spline<\/a> chart type. As you will see from the demo below, out result doesn\u2019t look much like our \u2018default\u2019 Area Spline chart demo, but here is where Highcharts really excels: While 99% of use cases can be satisfied with running our charts with all default settings, a lot of fun can be had by examining the API as well as considering what you want your data story to be and how to best pre-process your data to that end.<\/p>\n

In this tutorial, we will do just that, continuing our exploration of the super-useful Kernel Density Estimation<\/a>. We used a Gaussian kernel function in previous tutorials to create a single density chart and violin chart types. And you might ask: \u201cwait a second, isn\u2019t a violin chart and the density chart, in essence, the same chart?\u201d And you would be right. A density chart is basically a violin chart split down the middle, where only one of the halves is used. Even at half size, the density chart doesn\u2019t lose any information, as the left and right side of the violin is just a mirror image of each other.<\/p>\n

So, when would you use a violin or density chart? Both chart types are used to visualize a data distribution and its probability density. The shape of both charts gets tinner in lower density values and thicker in higher density values. While they can both be used to show the same data, you might consider going with a density chart for compact and straightforward data distribution visualization. Use the violin chart to display an attractive density distribution with descriptive statistical coefficients.<\/p>\n

Good? Let\u2019s return to our main subject and harness the density type chart’s power in comparing multiple series.<\/p>\n

The demo below<\/a> displays the weight density of the 2012 Olympic male athletes for six disciplines:<\/p>\n