More female teachers linked to higher GDP
Comparing GDP (current US$) with Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled across 171 countries, 2024–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.83
- Holding size constant
- +0.47
- Countries compared
- 171
- Period
- 2024–2025
What might link these
The relationship between female primary education teachers and GDP might be influenced by a country's overall investment in education and its economic development. A careful reader should consider that education expenditure, which could be a likely confounder, might drive both the number of female teachers and GDP. This relationship does not necessarily imply causation.
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 could be driven by underlying factors like education expenditure rather than a direct link between female teachers and GDP.
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.