Pie Graphs
A pie, or circle, graph shows
relationships among the parts
of a whole. These parts look
like slices of a pie. The size of
each slice is proportional to
the percentage of the whole
that it represents.
Read the title and identify
the broad subject of the
pie graph.
Look at the legend to see
what each slice of the pie
represents.
Look at the source line and
evaluate the reliability of
the information in the
graph.
Compare the slices of the
pie and try to make
generalizations and draw
conclusions from your
comparisons.
Read the questions
carefully.
Eliminate choices that you
know are wrong and then
select the best answer
from the remaining
choices.
World Population by Region, 2002
Source:Population Reference Bureau
- Which region accounts for the smallest share of the
world population?
A.Africa
B.North America
C.Latin America and the Caribbean
D.Oceania
- A greater share of the world’s population
lives in Latin America and the Caribbean
than lives in
A.Africa.
B.Europe.
C.North America.
D.Asia.
answers:1 (D); 2 (C)
North America
Latin America
and Caribbean
Europe
Africa
11.7%
60.6%
13.5%
8.6%
0.5%
5.1%
Asia
Oceania
Note that each region is
shown by a distinct color
in the pie graph.
The Population Reference Bureau
specializes in studies of United States
and international population data.
For this question, find the
“pie slices” for each of
the regions listed in the
alternatives. Compare
each one to the “pie
slice” for Latin America
and the Caribbean.
S18
The graph shows that
Asia has by far the largest
population.
STRATEGIES