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Data for 1998

Complexity Outlook Index, 1998

1998, as Growth Lab at Harvard University’s 2026 release gives it · stored as published, never rewritten

Complexity Outlook Index, 1998 covers 140 countries. China is highest, at 3.148; Germany is lowest, at -1.950. The middle country reads -0.155. Against 1997, 140 values changed (62 up, 78 down), the same countries are covered.

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Complexity Outlook Index · Data for 1998

HighestChina

3.148

LowestGermany

-1.950

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, 1998, 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, 1998: every country, as published by Growth Lab at Harvard University.
ChinaCHNEastern Asia3.148
IndiaINDSouthern Asia2.228
Hong KongHKGEastern Asia2.162
TaiwanTWNEastern Asia1.836
NetherlandsNLDWestern Europe1.803
SpainESPSouthern Europe1.770
DenmarkDNKNorthern Europe1.696
PolandPOLEastern Europe1.606
IndonesiaIDNSouth-eastern Asia1.560
LebanonLBNWestern Asia1.489
BulgariaBGREastern Europe1.474
ItalyITASouthern Europe1.443
HungaryHUNEastern Europe1.427
TürkiyeTURWestern Asia1.364
ThailandTHASouth-eastern Asia1.360
PanamaPANCentral America1.313
United StatesUSANorthern America1.256
SloveniaSVNSouthern Europe1.231
AustraliaAUSAustralia and New Zealand1.224
SlovakiaSVKEastern Europe1.157
IsraelISRWestern Asia1.143
CzechiaCZEEastern Europe1.132
EstoniaESTNorthern Europe1.103
GreeceGRCSouthern Europe1.101
MexicoMEXCentral America1.091

02In 1998

At either end

The 5 countries at each end of the headline.

Highest

  1. China3.148
  2. India2.228
  3. Hong Kong2.162
  4. Taiwan1.836
  5. Netherlands1.803

Lowest

  1. Germany-1.950
  2. Malawi-1.412
  3. Cambodia-1.399
  4. Cameroon-1.328
  5. Guinea-1.307

Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score. The middle country reads -0.155. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.

031997 → 1998

Since 1997

What changed between 1997 and this one: who joined or left, and how far the headline moved.

  • +0 / −0countries joined / left
  • 140values changed, of 140 in both
  • 62 · 78rose · fell
  • 0unchanged

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 1998.

  • 137 distinct values among 140

    Values are stored exactly as published, to 3 decimals. 2 countries share -0.123. 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 (1998). Complexity Outlook Index, 1998 [data set], describing 1998. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/complexity-outlook/1998

0630 held

Other years

07Questions

Complexity Outlook Index, 1998: questions and answers

Which country has the highest complexity outlook in Complexity Outlook Index, 1998?

China, at 3.148, of the 140 countries in the file.

What year does Complexity Outlook Index, 1998 describe?

1998.

How many countries does Complexity Outlook Index, 1998 cover?

140.

Where can I download Complexity Outlook Index, 1998?

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, 1998 the newest?

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

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