Youth population linked to government spending
Comparing General government total expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP with Population aged 15-24 years (thousands), per unit of GDP across 195 countries, 2011–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.56
- Holding size constant
- +0.44
- Countries compared
- 195
- Period
- 2011–2025
What might link these
The relationship between youth population and government expenditure might be driven by the need for governments to invest in education, healthcare, and social services for younger populations. A careful reader should consider that urbanization rates could be a confounder, as countries with higher urbanization might have both higher government expenditures and different demographic profiles. The correlation suggests a potential link, but its interpretation requires caution.
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 because it does not account for other factors that might influence government spending, such as political priorities or 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.