Higher GNI per capita linked to a greater share of imports relative to GDP.
Comparing GNI per capita (current LCU) with Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP across 183 countries, 2011–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.83
- Holding size constant
- +0.86
- Countries compared
- 183
- Period
- 2011–2025
What might link these
Nations with higher GNI per capita tend to import a larger proportion of their GDP. This suggests that wealthier countries may be more integrated into the global economy through trade, relying on international goods and services to support their higher economic output. However, the relationship might be influenced by factors like trade policies or the specific structure of a country's economy.
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 does not imply that higher GNI causes increased imports; both could be driven by underlying economic development and openness.
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.