Countries with more young people have fewer reserves.
Comparing Reserves excluding gold (SDR), per capita with Population ages 0-14, total, per capita across 171 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.72
- Holding size constant
- -0.65
- Countries compared
- 171
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
The negative correlation between reserves excluding gold per capita and population ages 0-14 per capita might be linked to countries' economic priorities and resource allocation. A careful reader should consider that a country's stage of economic development could be a confounder, influencing both indicators. This relationship could be driven by various underlying factors, including government spending priorities and economic stability.
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 suggesting a direct relationship between young population and reserve management, when in fact it may be driven by broader economic and developmental 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.