diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/__tests__/visualizations/heatmap_chart.js b/src/ui/public/vislib/__tests__/visualizations/heatmap_chart.js
index 30cd4a732ab8..08ef03510d7e 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/__tests__/visualizations/heatmap_chart.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/__tests__/visualizations/heatmap_chart.js
@@ -63,6 +63,15 @@ describe('Vislib Heatmap Chart Test Suite', function () {
         vis.destroy();
       });
 
+      it('category axes should be rendered in reverse order', () => {
+        const renderedCategoryAxes = vis.handler.renderArray.filter(item => {
+          return item.constructor && item.constructor.name === 'Axis' && item.axisConfig.get('type') === 'category';
+        });
+        expect(vis.handler.categoryAxes.length).to.equal(renderedCategoryAxes.length);
+        expect(vis.handler.categoryAxes[0].axisConfig.get('id')).to.equal(renderedCategoryAxes[1].axisConfig.get('id'));
+        expect(vis.handler.categoryAxes[1].axisConfig.get('id')).to.equal(renderedCategoryAxes[0].axisConfig.get('id'));
+      });
+
       describe('addSquares method', function () {
         it('should append rects', function () {
           vis.handler.charts.forEach(function (chart) {
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/handler.js b/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/handler.js
index 8932072eef50..cdbf380d1b4d 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/handler.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/handler.js
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@ export function VisHandlerProvider(Private) {
 
       this.renderArray = this.renderArray
         .concat(this.valueAxes)
-        .concat(this.categoryAxes);
+        // category axes need to render in reverse order https://github.com/elastic/kibana/issues/13551
+        .concat(this.categoryAxes.slice().reverse());
 
       // memoize so that the same function is returned every time,
       // allowing us to remove/re-add the same function