# Cumulative

> A chart word, with the charts that use it.

**Definition.** Cumulative means a running total: each point adds everything before it. A cumulative line only rises, so it shows how fast a total builds up.

Updated Nov 2, 2026

## 060 · Gains curve

- **01 The cumulative curve.** Each point is the share found so far.
- **02 The straight line.** What picking at random would give, for comparison.

## Where you see it

- [060 · Gains curve](https://usechartory.com/charts/gains-curve): Distribution · SaaS data
- [077 · Lorenz curve](https://usechartory.com/charts/lorenz-curve): Distribution · Crypto data

## Common mistakes

- **Reading a cumulative line as a trend** It always rises. Read its slope: steep means fast, flat means slow.
- **Mixing per-period and cumulative values** Pick one per chart and say which in the title.

## Questions

### Why does a cumulative line never go down?

Each point adds the next value to the total so far. With no negative values, the total only grows.

### Where are cumulative charts used?

Gains curves, Lorenz curves, burn-up charts and running totals.

## Related terms

- [Time series](https://usechartory.com/glossary/time-series): Values recorded at regular moments, drawn left to right.
- [Share](https://usechartory.com/glossary/share): A part divided by its total, read as a percent.
- [Distribution](https://usechartory.com/glossary/distribution): How values spread across a range: where they cluster and where they thin out.

## Gains curve, Lorenz curve and the other types.

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