Infant deaths link to female population growth
Comparing Population ages 55-59, female, annual growth rate with Number of infant deaths, male, per unit of GDP across 192 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.56
- Holding size constant
- +0.47
- Countries compared
- 192
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
The relationship between infant deaths per GDP and female population growth rate might be linked through healthcare system quality or societal factors. A careful reader should consider that urbanization could be a confounder, influencing both indicators. The partial correlation controlling for population and GDP suggests a robust link, but its meaning requires further exploration.
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. This correlation could mislead by implying a direct relationship between the two indicators, when in fact they might be influenced by a third, underlying factor.
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.