Free Bubble Map Maker & Generator Online
Use this free bubble map maker to upload CSV data, customize bubble sizes and colors, and generate interactive bubble maps or bubble charts directly in your browser. No signup required.
Bubble Map Maker Tool
Required columnslatitudelongitudevaluelat and lng also work
Everything runs in your browser. Your data never leaves your device.
- Paste or upload a CSV and each row becomes a bubble.
- Bubble area grows in proportion to your value.
- Zoom and pan on an OpenStreetMap basemap.
- Free, with no sign-up and nothing to install.
What Is a Bubble Map?
A bubble map puts a circle on each location in your data and sizes it by a number, such as sales per store, people per city or cases per district. Large values stand out, small ones stay visible, and clusters appear where they really are.
| name | latitude | longitude | value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 35.6897 | 139.6922 | 37.4 |
| Delhi | 28.6139 | 77.2090 | 30.3 |
| Shanghai | 31.2304 | 121.4737 | 27.1 |
| São Paulo | -23.5505 | -46.6333 | 22.0 |
| Mexico City | 19.4326 | -99.1332 | 21.8 |
| Dhaka | 23.8103 | 90.4125 | 21.0 |
| Cairo | 30.0444 | 31.2357 | 20.9 |
| + 33 more rows | |||
- latitude and longitude place the bubble
- value sets its area
- Latitude and longitude set the position
- Each row's coordinates pin its bubble to the map, so the pattern you see is the real geography of your data.
- The value sets the area
- Area, not width, grows with the number. A city with twice the population gets a bubble with twice the area.
- Overlaps show density
- The bubbles are translucent, so crowded regions turn darker where they overlap and sparse regions stay pale.
- Where bubble maps help
- Store networks, census counts, sales by city, incident reports and field surveys all fit, because each number belongs to a place.
Cartographers call this a proportional symbol map. It works best for totals tied to points. For percentages or rates across whole regions, a shaded choropleth map usually reads better.
Which Bubble Map Are You Looking For?
Three different things go by this name. The tool on this page makes the first one.
- This tool
Geographic bubble map
Circles on a real map, sized by a number. Use it when location matters: stores, cities, sensors, customers.
Bubble chart
Circles placed on x and y axes, with a third number setting the size, like GDP against life expectancy sized by population. Build one in the Scatter Plot Maker by dragging a numeric field onto Size.
Bubble diagram or thinking map
Words in circles around a central idea, such as the bubble map and double bubble map used in classrooms, or an architect's room-adjacency sketch. They show ideas rather than numbers, so a whiteboard or diagram app suits them better than a data tool.
How to Create a Bubble Map Online
- 1
Prepare a CSV
Put one place on each row, with columns named latitude, longitude and value. The short names lat and lng also work. Add a name column to label each bubble; the tool ignores any other columns.
- 2
Paste or upload it
Paste the rows into the text box beside the map, or click Upload CSV and choose a .csv file. An uploaded file draws right away.
- 3
Click Render Map
Each row with valid coordinates becomes a blue bubble, and the map zooms to fit them all. If no row has usable coordinates, the tool shows an error under the buttons.
- 4
Zoom, pan and capture
Hover over or tap a bubble to see its name and value. Scroll or use the + and − buttons to zoom, and drag to pan. When the view looks right, take a screenshot for your slides or report.
Why Use This Bubble Map Maker and Generator
- A bubble map in seconds
- Paste rows or upload a CSV, click Render Map, and every row shows up as a bubble. There's no server round trip, so the map redraws as soon as you click.
- Sizes that compare fairly
- Each bubble's area, not its width, follows the value. A place with twice the sales gets twice the area, the same rule cartographers use for proportional symbol maps.
- A real map you can explore
- Bubbles sit on an OpenStreetMap basemap that zooms to fit your data. Hover over or tap a bubble to see its name and value, scroll to zoom and drag to pan.
- No sign-up or installation
- Open the page and start. There's no account, no trial and nothing to download.
- Your file stays on your device
- Your browser reads the CSV and nothing is uploaded, so you can map customer lists or unpublished figures without sending them anywhere.
- A simple CSV format
- Three columns do the job: latitude, longitude and value, or lat and lng for short. An optional name column labels each bubble. The tool ignores other columns and skips rows without valid coordinates.
Bubble Map Best Practices
Scale bubbles by area
Make each bubble's area, not its width, follow the value. When width doubles, area quadruples, so a value twice as large looks four times as large. This tool scales by area.
40 is four times 10, and the big bubble has four times the area.
Keep values in a readable range
In this tool, a value of 100 draws a bubble about 40 pixels wide, and 10,000 draws one about 400 pixels wide that buries its neighbors. Values between 1 and 1,000 work best, so show population in millions or revenue in thousands.
Map totals, not rates
Bubbles show how much sits where. Use counts and totals, such as stores, sales or people. For rates and percentages, a shaded choropleth map of whole regions reads better.
Thin out crowded areas
Hundreds of bubbles in one city melt into a single blob. Add up nearby points by city or region before mapping, or zoom in until the bubbles separate.
Check your coordinates
Use decimal degrees such as 39.9042, not 39°54′N. Latitude runs from −90 to 90 and longitude from −180 to 180. A bubble in the ocean usually means swapped columns or a missing minus sign.
Keep numbers plain
Write 1234.5, not 1,234.5 or 1.234,5. Thousands separators and decimal commas break the number, so 1,234 is read as 1 or the whole row is dropped.
Bubble Map Maker FAQ
What is a bubble map maker?
A bubble map maker turns a list of places and numbers into a map with a circle on each place, sized by its number. This one is free, runs in your browser and needs no sign-up. Paste or upload a CSV and click Render Map.
How do I create a bubble map for free?
Make a CSV with latitude, longitude and value columns. Paste it into the tool on this page or open it with Upload CSV, then click Render Map. Zoom and pan to the view you want and take a screenshot. It costs nothing, and you don't need an account.
What is the difference between a bubble map and a bubble chart?
A bubble map places circles on a geographic map using latitude and longitude. A bubble chart places them on x and y axes using two numbers, with a third number for size. This tool makes bubble maps. For a bubble chart, use the Scatter Plot Maker and drag a numeric field onto Size.
What is a bubble diagram?
A bubble diagram is a sketch of circles joined by lines. Teachers use it to describe a topic, as in the bubble map and double bubble map from Thinking Maps, and architects use it to plan which rooms sit next to each other. It shows ideas rather than numbers, so a whiteboard or diagram app suits it better than this tool.
Is my data safe when using this bubble map maker?
Yes. Your browser reads the CSV and draws the bubbles, and the file is never uploaded to a server. The only network requests are for OpenStreetMap map tiles, which reveal the area you are viewing but none of your data.
What data format does the bubble map generator accept?
CSV with a header row, either as a .csv file or pasted text. Name the columns latitude, longitude and value in lowercase; lat and lng also work. Coordinates must be decimal degrees. If the value column is missing, every bubble gets the same size. An optional name column labels each bubble.
Can I customize the colors and sizes of bubbles?
Size comes from the value column, with bubble area proportional to the value. To make all bubbles bigger or smaller, multiply or divide the whole column before you render. The color is a fixed translucent blue, which turns darker where bubbles overlap.
Can I use this bubble map creator with addresses or country names?
Not directly. The tool needs latitude and longitude for every row. If you only have addresses or place names, geocode them first with a geocoding service or a spreadsheet add-on, then paste the result here.
Can I save my bubble map as an image?
There's no export button. Set up the view you want, then use your system's screenshot tool, such as Shift+Command+4 on a Mac or Windows+Shift+S on Windows.
More Map and Chart Tools
Need Color, Filters or More Chart Types?
Graphic Walker, our open-source visual analysis app, draws point maps from latitude and longitude with size, color and tooltips, alongside bar, line and scatter charts. Get the desktop app for macOS or Windows, or use it in Jupyter through PyGWalker.
Need more chart types? Try our Chart Maker to create bar charts, line charts, scatter plots, and more.