Savings linked to IMF reserves
Comparing Gross domestic savings (current US$), per capita with Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita across 165 countries, 2020–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.70
- Holding size constant
- +0.58
- Countries compared
- 165
- Period
- 2020–2025
What might link these
A possible link between gross domestic savings and IMF reserve positions could be through a country's economic stability and international trade balances. However, a careful reader should be cautious about the potential influence of other economic factors, such as a country's trade balance or foreign investment, which might act as a confounder. The correlation might also reflect general economic health rather than a direct relationship between the two indicators.
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 causal link between savings and IMF reserves, rather than both being influenced by broader economic conditions.
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.