Overlapping labels in tikz barplot

Question

I have a problem with the placement and size of nodes in my barplot. I changed the size in the code from \small to \tiny:

every node near coord/.append style={font=\tiny}

but, the numbers are still larger than the barwidth and are overlapping with each other. I tried looking online for similar problems, but couldn't find any solution.

Is there any possibility to increase readability, by manual placment or change of size of the nodes?

Thanks for your help!

\documentclass[12pt]{book}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\newlength\figureheight 
\newlength\figurewidth
\begin{document}
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
\definecolor{myblue}{HTML}{0058a2}
\definecolor{mygreen}{HTML}{13B508}
\definecolor{myred}{HTML}{FF0000}
\definecolor{myskyblue}{HTML}{00C9FF}
\definecolor{mybrown}{HTML}{9C7E05}
\definecolor{myorange}{HTML}{E87E05}
 \setlength\figureheight{9cm} 
\setlength\figurewidth{\textwidth}
    \begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
    axis lines=left,
color=black,
width=\figurewidth,
    height=\figureheight,
    bar width=6pt,
ybar, 
enlargelimits=0.15,
legend style={at={(0.5,-0.15)},
  anchor=north,legend columns=-1},
ylabel={\%},
symbolic x coords={2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013},
xtick=data,
nodes near coords,
    every node near coord/.append style={font=\tiny},
nodes near coords align={vertical},
    nodes/.style={font=\footnotesize}
]

\begin{scope}[gray]
        \draw[gray] ({rel axis cs:1,0}|-{axis cs:2009,0}) -- ({rel axis cs:0,0}|-{axis cs:2009,0});
\end{scope}

\addplot[fill=myorange]
    coordinates{
    (2008,0)
    (2009,-12.6)
    (2010,8.9)
    (2011,1.7)
    (2012,0.4)
    (2013,1)
    };
  \addplot[fill=myblue]
    coordinates{   
    (2008,-3.2)
    (2009,-10)
    (2010,7)
    (2011,-6.3)
    (2012,-0.6)
    (2013,-0.6)
    };
 \addplot[fill=myred]
    coordinates{  
    (2008,4.7)
    (2009,-8.3)
    (2010,14.9)
    (2011,2.7)
    (2012,4.8)
    (2013,1.1)
    };
     \addplot[fill=myskyblue]
    coordinates{   
    (2008,1.8)
    (2009,-12.4)
    (2010,5.9)
    (2011,-5.4)
    (2012,-3.1)
    (2013,-3.1)
    };
  \addplot[fill=mygreen]
    coordinates{  
    (2008,-3.1)
    (2009,-12.2)
    (2010,6.6)
    (2011,-5.5)
    (2012,-1.8)
    (2013,-2.1)
    };
 \addplot[fill=mybrown]
    coordinates{     
    (2008,4.5)
    (2009,-11.3)
    (2010,11.7)
    (2011,-5.4)
    (2012,-4.3)
    (2013,-3.3)
   };
\legend{A,B,C,D,E,F}
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{figure}
\end{document}

Answer 1

In this proposal, the solution moves down the overlapping label associated to green bar (E) via adding a local option shown below with a conditional yshift test for coordinate=1 or 3 or 4 or 5 because the current coordinate index is stored in the macro \coordindex (starting from 0,1,2...): Moreover, myred and mybrown plots has a signle movement too.

 nodes near coords,
 every node near coord/.append style={
 yshift={\ifnum
 \ifnum\coordindex=1 1 
 \else\ifnum\coordindex=3 1
 \else\ifnum\coordindex=4 1
 \else\ifnum\coordindex=5 1 \else 0\fi\fi\fi\fi
                    =1 %
                    -2.5ex  % negative value for moving down and vice versa
                  \else 
                     0pt    % default
                  \fi}},

If more ups and downs are needed, the same idea applies via adding/appending

 every node near coord/.append style={
 yshift={conditional check}}

See material on How to write Conditional ifnum for further reference.

Code

\documentclass[12pt]{book}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\newlength\figureheight 
\newlength\figurewidth
\begin{document}
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
\definecolor{myblue}{HTML}{0058a2}
\definecolor{mygreen}{HTML}{13B508}
\definecolor{myred}{HTML}{FF0000}
\definecolor{myskyblue}{HTML}{00C9FF}
\definecolor{mybrown}{HTML}{9C7E05}
\definecolor{myorange}{HTML}{E87E05}
 \setlength\figureheight{9cm} 
\setlength\figurewidth{\textwidth}
    \begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
    axis lines=left,
color=black,
width=\figurewidth,
    height=\figureheight,
    bar width=6pt,
ybar, 
enlargelimits=0.15,
legend style={at={(0.5,-0.15)},
  anchor=north,legend columns=-1},
ylabel={\%},
symbolic x coords={2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013},
xtick=data,
nodes near coords,
    every node near coord/.append style={font=\tiny},
nodes near coords align={vertical},
    nodes/.style={font=\footnotesize}
]

\begin{scope}[gray]
        \draw[gray] ({rel axis cs:1,0}|-{axis cs:2009,0}) -- ({rel axis cs:0,0}|-{axis cs:2009,0});
\end{scope}

\addplot[fill=myorange]
    coordinates{
    (2008,0)
    (2009,-12.6)
    (2010,8.9)
    (2011,1.7)
    (2012,0.4)
    (2013,1)
    };
  \addplot[fill=myblue]
    coordinates{   
    (2008,-3.2)
    (2009,-10)
    (2010,7)
    (2011,-6.3)
    (2012,-0.6)
    (2013,-0.6)
    };
 \addplot[fill=myred,
   nodes near coords,
    every node near coord/.append style={
        yshift={\ifnum\coordindex=1 -6ex
                    \else  0pt
                    \fi
                   }},
]
    coordinates{  
    (2008,4.7)
    (2009,-8.3)
    (2010,14.9)
    (2011,2.7)
    (2012,4.8)
    (2013,1.1)
    };
     \addplot[fill=myskyblue]
    coordinates{   
    (2008,1.8)
    (2009,-12.4)
    (2010,5.9)
    (2011,-5.4)
    (2012,-3.1)
    (2013,-3.1)
    };
  \addplot[fill=mygreen,
   nodes near coords,
    every node near coord/.append style={
        yshift={\ifnum
\ifnum\coordindex=1 1 
\else\ifnum\coordindex=3 1
\else\ifnum\coordindex=4 1
\else\ifnum\coordindex=5 1 \else 0\fi\fi\fi\fi
                    =1 %
                    -2.5ex
                  \else 
                     0pt
                  \fi}},
]
    coordinates{  
    (2008,-3.1)
    (2009,-12.2)
    (2010,6.6)
    (2011,-5.5)
    (2012,-1.8)
    (2013,-2.1)
    };

 \addplot[fill=mybrown,  nodes near coords,
    every node near coord/.append style={
        yshift={\ifnum\coordindex=4 -1ex
                    \else  0pt
                    \fi
                   }
}]
    coordinates{     
    (2008,4.5)
    (2009,-11.3)
    (2010,11.7)
    (2011,-5.4)
    (2012,-4.3)
    (2013,-3.3)
   };
\legend{A,B,C,D,E,F}
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{figure}

\end{document}