How to compare box plots?

As we have discussed at the beginning of the article that box plots make comparing characteristics of data between categories very easy. Let us have a look at how we can compare different box plots and derive statistical conclusions from them.

Let us take the below two plots as an example: –

• Compare the Medians — If the median line of a box plot lies outside the box of the other box plot with which it is being compared, then we can say that there is likely to be a difference between the two groups. Here the Median line of the plot B lies outside the box of Plot A.
• Compare the Dispersion or Spread of data — The Inter Quartile range (length of the box) gives us an idea about how dispersed the data is. Here Plot A has a longer length than Plot B which means that the dispersion of data is more in plot A as compared to plot B. The length of whiskers also gives an idea of the overall spread of data. The extreme values (minimum &maximum) give the range of data distribution. Larger the range more scattered the data. Here Plot A has a larger range than Plot B.
• Comparing Outliers — The outliers give the idea of unusual data values which are distant from the rest of the data. More number of Outliers means the prediction will be more uncertain. We can be more confident while predicting the values for a plot which has less or no outliers.
• Compare Skewness — Skewness gives us the direction and the magnitude of the lack of symmetry. We have discussed above how to identify skewness. Here Plot A is Positive or Right Skewed and Plot B is Negative or Left Skewed.

This is all for Box Plots. Now you might have got the idea of Box Plots how to make them and how to derive information from them. For any queries do leave a comment down below.

Box Plot is a graphical method to visualize data distribution for gaining insights and making informed decisions. Box plot is a type of chart that depicts a group of numerical data through their quartiles.

In this article, we are going to discuss components of a box plot, how to create a box plot, uses of a Box Plot, and how to compare box plots.