Higher phosphate imports are linked to greater merchandise imports globally.
Comparing Merchandise imports (current US$) with Nutrient phosphate P2O5 (total) — Import quantity across 172 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.77
- Holding size constant
- +0.48
- Countries compared
- 172
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
Countries importing more phosphate may be more agriculturally or industrially active, driving higher overall imports. However, the drop in correlation after controlling for GDP suggests wealthier nations import both more phosphate and other goods, hinting at economic development as a key driver.
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. The partial correlation remains strong, but reverse causation or unmeasured confounders (e.g., trade policies) could distort the relationship.
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.