Hierarchical clustering of selected countries according to the variables of population, national income and exports of goods and services

Abstract

The changes in the population, gross domestic product (GDP) and exports of goods and services of the 32 countries that we have selected for 25 years have annually been examined. In this study, we use hierarchical structure methods such as minimum spanning tree (MST) and hierarchical tree (HT) to explain the relationship between countries' GDP, population, and annual changes in exports of goods and services from 1991 to 2016. Using MST and HT, we obtained the countries with the same economic development level as some variables. At the same time, we obtained the opportunity to see which country's population, GDP, and annual changes in exports of goods and services are at a similar change. Finally, for observing the cluster structure, we use a clustering linkage procedure. This topology will provide us with a useful guide to understanding their behavior and identifying the dominant associated countries in the network as part of a complicated network.