Countries with more SDRs import more sawnwood
Comparing Reserve tranche position, SDR, per capita with Sawnwood — Import value, per capita across 168 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.67
- Holding size constant
- +0.53
- Countries compared
- 168
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
The relationship between reserve tranche position and sawnwood import value might be linked through economic stability and demand for construction materials. A careful reader should consider that GDP per capita could still be a confounder, as richer countries might both have more SDRs and import more sawnwood. The correlation controlling for population and GDP reduces but does not eliminate this possibility.
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 link between international monetary reserves and timber trade, when in fact both might be driven by broader economic factors.
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.