Brazil vs South Africa: Rank in the Economic Complexity Index

Brazil
44
in 2016
South Africa
42
in 2016
Brazil rank
71st
South Africa rank
74th

Rank in the Economic Complexity Index over time

  • Brazil
  • South Africa
020406080196419902016

How they compare

Brazil currently reports 44 against 42 in South Africa, a difference of 2.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 53 shared years of data; in 1964 it was Brazil ahead.

Brazil ranks 71st and South Africa ranks 74th of 121 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Brazil South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 70.67 52.5 18.17 Brazil
1970s 59.7 56.9 2.8 Brazil
1980s 36.6 54.5 17.9 South Africa
1990s 29.9 48.6 18.7 South Africa
2000s 37.5 50.1 12.6 South Africa
2010s 49 54.71 5.71 South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rank in the economic complexity index, Brazil or South Africa?
Brazil, at 44 against 42 in South Africa as of 2016.
What is the difference in rank in the economic complexity index between Brazil and South Africa?
2, with Brazil ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and South Africa?
53 years are reported by both, from 1964 to 2016.
How do Brazil and South Africa rank globally for rank in the economic complexity index?
Brazil ranks 71st and South Africa ranks 74th of 121 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Observatory of Economic Complexity and Atlas of Economic Complexity (2016) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Rank in the Economic Complexity Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Brazil vs South Africa: Rank in the Economic Complexity Index. Statizoid, drawing on Observatory of Economic Complexity and Atlas of Economic Complexity (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/economic-complexity-rankings/brazil/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Rank in the Economic Complexity Index
Source
Observatory of Economic Complexity and Atlas of Economic Complexity (2016) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
121 places, 5,650 data points, 1964–2016
Last refreshed

The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) takes data on exports, and reduces a country’s economic system into two dimensions: (i) The number or ‘diversification’ of products in the export basket, and (ii) the quality, or ‘ubiquity’ of products in the export basket. This map ranks countries by ECI scores. The highest rank is 1 and corresponds to the country with the most complex economy in that year.