Economic complexity rankings in South Africa
South Africa: Economic complexity rankings was 42 in 2016. ▼ Falling
Latest (2016)
42
Change on year
down 23.6%
World rank
74th
of 121 countries
All-time high
63
in 1976
All-time low
42
in 1999
Years of data
53
1964–2016
Economic complexity rankings in South Africa, 1964–2016
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 42 for economic complexity rankings in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
The figure is down 23.6% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, economic complexity rankings in South Africa peaked at 63 in 1976 and was at its lowest, 42, in 1999.
That places South Africa 74th out of 121 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Economic complexity rankings in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 51 | — |
| 1965 | 55 | +7.8% |
| 1966 | 49 | -10.9% |
| 1967 | 50 | +2.0% |
| 1968 | 56 | +12.0% |
| 1969 | 54 | -3.6% |
| 1970 | 55 | +1.9% |
| 1971 | 55 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 53 | -3.6% |
| 1973 | 54 | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 58 | +7.4% |
| 1975 | 59 | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 63 | +6.8% |
| 1977 | 54 | -14.3% |
| 1978 | 63 | +16.7% |
| 1979 | 55 | -12.7% |
| 1980 | 49 | -10.9% |
| 1981 | 51 | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 51 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 51 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 57 | +11.8% |
| 1985 | 53 | -7.0% |
| 1986 | 51 | -3.8% |
| 1987 | 59 | +15.7% |
| 1988 | 61 | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 62 | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 58 | -6.5% |
| 1991 | 52 | -10.3% |
| 1992 | 53 | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 53 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 47 | -11.3% |
| 1995 | 45 | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 48 | +6.7% |
| 1997 | 43 | -10.4% |
| 1998 | 45 | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 42 | -6.7% |
| 2000 | 46 | +9.5% |
| 2001 | 52 | +13.0% |
| 2002 | 52 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 49 | -5.8% |
| 2004 | 50 | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 46 | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 46 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 50 | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 53 | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 57 | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 55 | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 57 | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 59 | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 57 | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 58 | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 55 | -5.2% |
| 2016 | 42 | -23.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 52.5 | 49 | 56 | 6 |
| 1970s | 56.9 | 53 | 63 | 10 |
| 1980s | 54.5 | 49 | 62 | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.6 | 42 | 58 | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.1 | 46 | 57 | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.71 | 42 | 59 | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.4836 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.4 Percent per annum (2029)
- GNI, Atlas method (current US$), annual growth rate 3.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- GNI, Atlas method (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9509 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GNI, Atlas method (current US$), per capita 6,274 current US$ per person (2025)
- GNI (current US$), annual growth rate 6.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- GNI (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9808 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GNI (current US$), per capita 6,471 current US$ per person (2025)
- GNI (current LCU), annual growth rate 3.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- GNI (current LCU), per unit of GDP 17.55 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is economic complexity rankings in South Africa?
- Economic complexity rankings in South Africa was 42 in 2016, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest economic complexity rankings recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 63 in 1976.
- What is the lowest economic complexity rankings recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 42 in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for economic complexity rankings?
- South Africa ranks 74th out of 121 countries with data for 2016.
- Is economic complexity rankings rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Economic complexity rankings. 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).