Urban growth linked to fewer women 55-59
Comparing Urban population growth (annual %) with Population ages 55-59, female, per capita across 214 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.78
- Holding size constant
- -0.72
- Countries compared
- 214
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
The correlation might be due to urban areas having lower birth rates or higher life expectancies, affecting the population structure. A careful reader should consider that education level could be a confounder, as it often correlates with urbanization and fertility rates. The relationship could be influenced by various demographic and socioeconomic factors.
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 urbanization and the size of specific female age groups, when in fact it may be driven by broader demographic 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.