Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in South Korea
South Korea: Rank in the Economic Complexity Index was 4 in 2016. ▼ Falling
Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in South Korea, 1964–2016
Source: Observatory of Economic Complexity and Atlas of Economic Complexity (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2016, rank in the economic complexity index in South Korea stood at 4.
That represents a change of up 33.3% on the previous year and down 60.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rank in the economic complexity index in South Korea peaked at 29 in 1976 and was at its lowest, 3, in 2014.
That places South Korea 118th out of 121 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 22.5 | 20 | 24 | 6 |
| 1970s | 25.1 | 22 | 29 | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.2 | 18 | 23 | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.4 | 18 | 24 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.4 | 10 | 20 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.29 | 3 | 8 | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More economy & growth data for South Korea
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP 5.2% (2025)
- Inflation of consumer prices 2.1% (2025)
- GDP per capita 37,470 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 27.4% (2025)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 1.94 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita in international and market dollars 37,470 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor 1,422 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -6.93 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -4.87 billion current US$ (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 185.85 trillion current LCU (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rank in the economic complexity index in South Korea?
- Rank in the economic complexity index in South Korea was 4 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 29 in 1976.
- What is the lowest rank in the economic complexity index recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 2014.
- How does South Korea rank for rank in the economic complexity index?
- South Korea ranks 118th out of 121 countries with data for 2016.
- Is rank in the economic complexity index rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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.