Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in China
China: Rank in the Economic Complexity Index was 18 in 2016. ▼ Falling
Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in China, 1964–2016
Source: Observatory of Economic Complexity and Atlas of Economic Complexity (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rank in the economic complexity index in China is 18, measured in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.3% on the previous year and down 48.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rank in the economic complexity index in China peaked at 48 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 18, in 2014.
China ranks 101st of 121 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 26 | — |
| 1965 | 26 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 28 | +7.7% |
| 1967 | 29 | +3.6% |
| 1968 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 31 | +6.9% |
| 1970 | 30 | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 31 | +3.3% |
| 1972 | 32 | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 29 | -9.4% |
| 1974 | 31 | +6.9% |
| 1975 | 32 | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 40 | +25.0% |
| 1977 | 40 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 36 | -10.0% |
| 1979 | 34 | -5.6% |
| 1980 | 33 | -2.9% |
| 1981 | 32 | -3.0% |
| 1982 | 36 | +12.5% |
| 1983 | 38 | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 38 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 37 | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 38 | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 40 | +5.3% |
| 1988 | 38 | -5.0% |
| 1989 | 35 | -7.9% |
| 1990 | 32 | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 31 | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 37 | +19.4% |
| 1993 | 41 | +10.8% |
| 1994 | 48 | +17.1% |
| 1995 | 42 | -12.5% |
| 1996 | 46 | +9.5% |
| 1997 | 41 | -10.9% |
| 1998 | 43 | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 45 | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 40 | -11.1% |
| 2001 | 38 | -5.0% |
| 2002 | 38 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 35 | -7.9% |
| 2004 | 35 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 35 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 35 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 34 | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 28 | -17.6% |
| 2009 | 26 | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 26 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 27 | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 22 | -18.5% |
| 2013 | 20 | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 18 | -10.0% |
| 2015 | 19 | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 18 | -5.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 18 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 59, 31% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
- China's 18 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 42, 43% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 28.17 | 26 | 31 | 6 |
| 1970s | 33.5 | 29 | 40 | 10 |
| 1980s | 36.5 | 32 | 40 | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.6 | 31 | 48 | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.4 | 26 | 40 | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.43 | 18 | 27 | 7 |
Countries ranked near China
More economy & growth data for China
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.46 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.31 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 157.21 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0081 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 111.77 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 79.98 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 87.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0041 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 56.86 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 8.47 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rank in the economic complexity index in China?
- Rank in the economic complexity index in China was 18 in 2016, according to Observatory of Economic Complexity and Atlas of Economic Complexity (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rank in the economic complexity index recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 48 in 1994.
- What is the lowest rank in the economic complexity index recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 18 in 2014.
- How does China rank for rank in the economic complexity index?
- China ranks 101st out of 121 countries with data for 2016.
- Is rank in the economic complexity index rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Observatory of Economic Complexity and Atlas of Economic Complexity (2016) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Rank in the Economic Complexity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.