Higher population growth linked to lower paper imports per person
Comparing Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates — Population, annual growth rate with Printing and writing papers — Import quantity, per capita across 154 countries, 2030–2030.
- Rank correlation
- -0.66
- Holding size constant
- -0.55
- Countries compared
- 154
- Period
- 2030–2030
What might link these
Countries with faster population growth may prioritize resources for basic needs over paper imports, or have younger populations with different consumption patterns. However, paper imports could also reflect industrial activity or trade policies unrelated to demographics.
Why this is not proof of anything
This is a correlation across countries, not an experiment. It cannot show that either indicator causes the other, and both may simply follow a third thing. Correlation does not imply causation, and unmeasured factors like education levels or digitalization could drive both trends.
The second figure above repeats the measurement with national population and income held constant. It is the more conservative number: a relationship that largely disappears there was mostly telling you that larger, richer countries have more of most things.
How this was measured
Both indicators were ranked across every country reporting each, and the two rankings compared — ranks rather than raw values, because a handful of very large countries can otherwise manufacture a relationship on their own. The calculation is arithmetic over figures already published on this site; the commentary above is drafted from the two indicator names and the resulting coefficients.