Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Rank in the Economic Complexity Index was 8 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in United Kingdom, 1964–2016
Source: Observatory of Economic Complexity and Atlas of Economic Complexity (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 8 for rank in the economic complexity index in 2016.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 38.5% on the previous year and up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rank in the economic complexity index in United Kingdom peaked at 13 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1971.
United Kingdom ranks 113th of 121 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Rank in the Economic Complexity Index in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 4 | — |
| 1965 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1966 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1969 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1970 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 1972 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1973 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1975 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1976 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1977 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 4 | -33.3% |
| 1982 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1983 | 5 | +66.7% |
| 1984 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1988 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1995 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 1997 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 7 | -12.5% |
| 1999 | 5 | -28.6% |
| 2000 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2001 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2002 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 2006 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2007 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 2008 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2009 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 | +28.6% |
| 2011 | 10 | +11.1% |
| 2012 | 11 | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 10 | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 11 | +10.0% |
| 2015 | 13 | +18.2% |
| 2016 | 8 | -38.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 8 is below the median for high income countries, which is 23, 35% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 8 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 27, 30% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.33 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| 1970s | 4.4 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.1 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.6 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.7 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.29 | 8 | 13 | 7 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More economy & growth data for United Kingdom
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.14 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 86.93 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0217 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,251 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 76.63 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 691.49 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0191 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,103 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 22.77 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rank in the economic complexity index in United Kingdom?
- Rank in the economic complexity index in United Kingdom was 8 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 13 in 2015.
- What is the lowest rank in the economic complexity index recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1971.
- How does United Kingdom rank for rank in the economic complexity index?
- United Kingdom ranks 113th out of 121 countries with data for 2016.
- Is rank in the economic complexity index rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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
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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.