Prevent Matplotlib Table Overlap in Bar Charts: Split Axes and Add a Right-Side Table Panel

Avoid table overlap in Matplotlib bar plots: split axes with make_axes_locatable and append_axes, place the table on the right, and keep the layout clear.

Bar plots paired with small tables are common in reporting dashboards, but placing a matplotlib.pyplot.table directly on the same axes as the bars often leads to awkward overlaps. When row labels hug the chart area, the result looks cramped and hard to read. The goal is simple: move the table slightly to the right and keep a clean margin without guessing bounding boxes by trial and error.

Reproducing the overlap

The following minimal example illustrates the issue. The table is created on the same axes as the bars and positioned with loc='right', so the labels X, Y, Z collide with the bars.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns
plt.figure(figsize=(9, 5), dpi=300)
bars_ax = sns.barplot(
    x=range(1, 3),
    y=[15, 30],
    legend=False,
)
plt.table(cellText=['A', 'B', 'C'], rowLabels=['X', 'Y', 'Z'], colWidths=[0.15], loc='right')
plt.show()

What causes the messy layout

matplotlib.pyplot.table places a table artist inside the current axes. The loc argument snaps the table within that same drawing area rather than outside it, so sliding the table to the right still leaves it overlapping the bars. While bbox could theoretically nudge the table outward, it forces you into manual fine-tuning of coordinates, which is brittle and time-consuming.

The clean approach

A reliable way to keep the table out of the chart’s way is to split the figure into two axes. Using make_axes_locatable(ax) and append_axes("right", size="20%", pad=0.2), you carve out a narrow, padded strip on the right for the table. Turning the new axes off removes ticks and spines, and placing the table there ensures it never overlaps the bars.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns
from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1 import make_axes_locatable
canvas, plot_ax = plt.subplots()
sns.barplot(x=[1, 2], y=[15, 30], ax=plot_ax)
splitter = make_axes_locatable(plot_ax)
table_ax = splitter.append_axes("right", size="20%", pad=0.2)
table_ax.axis("off")
table_ax.table(
    cellText=[["A"], ["B"], ["C"]],
    rowLabels=["X", "Y", "Z"],
    loc="center"
)
plt.show()

Why this matters

Clear separation between visual marks and textual labels directly affects readability and perceived quality. By isolating the table in its own axes, you avoid overlap without relying on fragile coordinate tweaks. The result is a predictable layout where adjustments are explicit: size controls the table panel’s width, and pad defines the gap to the bars.

Conclusion

When a matplotlib table crowds your bar chart, don’t fight with loc or bbox inside the same axes. Allocate a dedicated right-hand axes with make_axes_locatable and append_axes, switch it off with axis("off"), and render the table there. This small structural change keeps the chart and labels visually separated, reads better at a glance, and remains easy to tune by adjusting the size and pad parameters.