GDP relates to industry value added per capita
Comparing GDP (current LCU) with Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per capita across 204 countries, 2011–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.84
- Holding size constant
- +0.94
- Countries compared
- 204
- Period
- 2011–2025
What might link these
The strong correlation might be due to industrial development driving economic growth. However, a careful reader should consider education as a likely confounder, as it can influence both industry productivity and GDP. The relationship could be bidirectional or influenced by other 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 causal link between industry value added and overall economic performance, when in fact other factors like education or technological advancement might be at play.
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.