
In the past, the trade between nations was a much simpler matter to grasp. Commodities and a few finished goods moved between a handful of countries in a straightforward way.
Today, around 6,000 officially classified products pass through the world’s ports, and digital products and services zip across country lines creating an extra layer of difficulty in measuring economic activity.
To try to understand this enormous level of economic complexity, the team at Harvard’s Growth Lab have created the Country Complexity Ranking. Here’s a look at the top 50 countries in the ranking:
Rank | Country | Score | Top Export(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Japan | 2.28 | Cars |
2 | Switzerland | 2.14 | ICT (tech) |
3 | South Korea | 2.05 | ICT, cars |
4 | Germany | 2.02 | Integrated circuits |
5 | Singapore | 1.81 | ICT, cars |
6 | Czech Rep. | 1.79 | Cars |
7 | Austria | 1.71 | ICT, tourism |
8 | Finland | 1.69 | ICT |
9 | Sweden | 1.67 | ICT |
10 | Hungary | 1.64 | ICT, cars |
11 | Slovenia | 1.57 | Cars, ICT |
12 | United States | 1.47 | ICT |
13 | Italy | 1.42 | ICT, tourism |
14 | United Kingdom | 1.42 | ICT, finance |
15 | Slovakia | 1.41 | Cars |
16 | France | 1.40 | ICT, tourism |
17 | Ireland | 1.39 | ICT |
18 | Israel | 1.37 | ICT, diamonds |
19 | China | 1.30 | Electronic equipment |
20 | Mexico | 1.27 | Cars |
21 | Poland | 1.19 | ICT |
22 | Denmark | 1.18 | Transport, ICT |
23 | Belgium | 1.16 | ICT |
24 | Romania | 1.16 | ICT, vehicle parts |
25 | Thailand | 1.15 | Tourism |
26 | Netherlands | 1.04 | ICT |
27 | Estonia | 1.03 | ICT, transport |
28 | Malaysia | 0.95 | Integrated circuits |
29 | Belarus | 0.93 | Refined oils, ICT |
30 | Croatia | 0.92 | Tourism, ICT |
31 | Lithuania | 0.85 | Transport, refined oils |
32 | Spain | 0.85 | Tourism, ICT |
33 | Philippines | 0.75 | Integrated circuits, ICT |
34 | Portugal | 0.72 | Tourism, ICT |
35 | Canada | 0.69 | Crude oil, cars, ICT |
36 | Bosnia and Herz. | 0.65 | Tourism, ICT |
37 | Serbia | 0.65 | ICT |
38 | Turkey | 0.65 | Tourism, transport |
39 | Latvia | 0.64 | Transport, ICT |
40 | Bulgaria | 0.62 | |
41 | Norway | 0.56 | |
42 | Ukraine | 0.42 | |
43 | Cyprus | 0.38 | |
44 | Tunisia | 0.34 | |
45 | India | 0.32 | |
46 | Costa Rica | 0.30 | |
47 | Uruguay | 0.29 | |
48 | Brazil | 0.24 | |
49 | Russia | 0.24 | |
50 | Lebanon | 0.24 |
Japan, Switzerland, and South Korea sit at the top of the ranking.
Czech Republic – which was recently ranked as the most attractive manufacturing destination in Europe – has a strong showing, ranking 6th in the…