A choropleth map shades geographic regions in proportion to a data variable, using a color gradient to represent intensity. It is the most common thematic map for showing how a measurement varies across countries or states.
Total Orbital Launches by Country (1957-2024)
Best for
- Showing how a metric varies across geographic regions
- Visualising population density, income, or election results
- Providing an at-a-glance overview of spatial patterns
Avoid when
- Small regions are important but invisible at the map scale
- Data is point-based rather than area-based — use a bubble map
- Precise numeric comparison is needed — use a bar chart