Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in Malaysia
Malaysia: Rank in the Economic Complexity Index was 14 in 2016. ▼ Falling
Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia is 14, measured in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 36.4% on the previous year and down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rank in the economic complexity index in Malaysia peaked at 77 in 1971 and was at its lowest, 14, in 2016.
That places Malaysia 105th 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.
Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 67 | — |
| 1965 | 71 | +6.0% |
| 1966 | 65 | -8.5% |
| 1967 | 60 | -7.7% |
| 1968 | 59 | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 64 | +8.5% |
| 1970 | 66 | +3.1% |
| 1971 | 77 | +16.7% |
| 1972 | 70 | -9.1% |
| 1973 | 74 | +5.7% |
| 1974 | 68 | -8.1% |
| 1975 | 69 | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 67 | -2.9% |
| 1977 | 64 | -4.5% |
| 1978 | 61 | -4.7% |
| 1979 | 65 | +6.6% |
| 1980 | 65 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 68 | +4.6% |
| 1982 | 63 | -7.4% |
| 1983 | 55 | -12.7% |
| 1984 | 41 | -25.5% |
| 1985 | 40 | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 45 | +12.5% |
| 1987 | 43 | -4.4% |
| 1988 | 46 | +7.0% |
| 1989 | 48 | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 41 | -14.6% |
| 1991 | 36 | -12.2% |
| 1992 | 38 | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 47 | +23.7% |
| 1994 | 52 | +10.6% |
| 1995 | 40 | -23.1% |
| 1996 | 39 | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 37 | -5.1% |
| 1998 | 37 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 33 | -10.8% |
| 2000 | 28 | -15.2% |
| 2001 | 30 | +7.1% |
| 2002 | 26 | -13.3% |
| 2003 | 27 | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 26 | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 27 | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 28 | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 27 | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 30 | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 33 | +10.0% |
| 2010 | 36 | +9.1% |
| 2011 | 30 | -16.7% |
| 2012 | 27 | -10.0% |
| 2013 | 28 | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 27 | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 22 | -18.5% |
| 2016 | 14 | -36.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 14 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 59, 24% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 14 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 42, 33% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 64.33 | 59 | 71 | 6 |
| 1970s | 68.1 | 61 | 77 | 10 |
| 1980s | 51.4 | 40 | 68 | 10 |
| 1990s | 40 | 33 | 52 | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.2 | 26 | 33 | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.29 | 14 | 36 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More economy & growth data for Malaysia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.04 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.97 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 13.04 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0309 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 366.69 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 15.59 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 96.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0369 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 438.53 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 8.09 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rank in the economic complexity index in Malaysia?
- Rank in the economic complexity index in Malaysia was 14 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 77 in 1971.
- What is the lowest rank in the economic complexity index recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14 in 2016.
- How does Malaysia rank for rank in the economic complexity index?
- Malaysia ranks 105th out of 121 countries with data for 2016.
- Is rank in the economic complexity index rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.