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Data for 1997

Complexity Outlook Index, 1997

1997, as Growth Lab at Harvard University’s 2026 release gives it · stored as published, never rewritten

Complexity Outlook Index, 1997 covers 140 countries. China is highest, at 3.133; Germany is lowest, at -1.681. The middle country reads -0.149. Against 1996, 139 values changed (73 up, 66 down), the same countries are covered.

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Complexity Outlook Index · Data for 1997

HighestChina

3.133

LowestGermany

-1.681

Shaded by value in five groups of equal size, darkest at the highest end. Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score.

01Values only

The table

Every country and every column of Complexity Outlook Index, 1997, as published. The file carries values only, so no position is shown. “=” marks a shared position.

Showing 25 of 140 countries · select a heading to sort

Complexity Outlook Index, 1997: every country, as published by Growth Lab at Harvard University.
ChinaCHNEastern Asia3.133
IndiaINDSouthern Asia2.391
Hong KongHKGEastern Asia2.199
TaiwanTWNEastern Asia2.079
SpainESPSouthern Europe1.995
NetherlandsNLDWestern Europe1.906
PolandPOLEastern Europe1.651
DenmarkDNKNorthern Europe1.639
ThailandTHASouth-eastern Asia1.466
TürkiyeTURWestern Asia1.414
HungaryHUNEastern Europe1.355
ItalyITASouthern Europe1.321
BrazilBRASouth America1.301
SloveniaSVNSouthern Europe1.263
LebanonLBNWestern Asia1.251
BelgiumBELWestern Europe1.241
BulgariaBGREastern Europe1.211
PortugalPRTSouthern Europe1.193
MexicoMEXCentral America1.184
AustraliaAUSAustralia and New Zealand1.148
United StatesUSANorthern America1.142
IndonesiaIDNSouth-eastern Asia1.139
FinlandFINNorthern Europe1.088
GreeceGRCSouthern Europe1.081
SwedenSWENorthern Europe1.079

02In 1997

At either end

The 5 countries at each end of the headline.

Highest

  1. China3.133
  2. India2.391
  3. Hong Kong2.199
  4. Taiwan2.079
  5. Spain1.995

Lowest

  1. Germany-1.681
  2. Cambodia-1.359
  3. Papua New Guinea-1.338
  4. Mauritania-1.327
  5. Sudan-1.304

Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score. The middle country reads -0.149. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.

031996 → 1997

Since 1996

What changed between 1996 and this one: who joined or left, and how far the headline moved.

  • +0 / −0countries joined / left
  • 139values changed, of 140 in both
  • 73 · 66rose · fell
  • 1unchanged

Rose most

Fell most

Both years come from the same release, so a difference here is a change in the data, not a revision of it. Every country’s full history is charted on the statistic page.

04Caveats

Read before you use

What this edition’s numbers are and are not, worked out from the file itself.

The site’s method

  • One year of the 2026 release

    Every year in this series comes from Growth Lab at Harvard University’s 2026 release, recalculated on one method. It can differ from what was first published for 1997.

  • 137 distinct values among 140

    Values are stored exactly as published, to 3 decimals. 2 countries share 0.412. Countries sharing a value share a position too.

  • Which end is better

    Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score.

  • Nothing missing

    Every one of the 140 countries has every column.

05The files

Download and cite

The table as a file, digit for digit, what this site changed, and a citation for this edition.

Licence in full

What this site changed: Reshaped into one row per country: regional and income-group totals are left out, only the columns listed are kept, each row gets its ISO 3166 code, and some country names are brought to one spelling. No value is recalculated, rescaled or rounded.

Licence: CC0 1.0. No conditions at all. Crediting the publisher is still the courteous thing to do.

Cite this edition

Growth Lab at Harvard University (1997). Complexity Outlook Index, 1997 [data set], describing 1997. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/complexity-outlook/1997

0630 held

Other years

07Questions

Complexity Outlook Index, 1997: questions and answers

Which country has the highest complexity outlook in Complexity Outlook Index, 1997?

China, at 3.133, of the 140 countries in the file.

What year does Complexity Outlook Index, 1997 describe?

1997.

How many countries does Complexity Outlook Index, 1997 cover?

140.

Where can I download Complexity Outlook Index, 1997?

On this page, as a CSV file holding every value exactly as published, or from the publisher’s own site, linked below.

Is Complexity Outlook Index, 1997 the newest?

No. The newest held here is Complexity Outlook Index, 2024.

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