Wealthier countries have fewer young males
Comparing GDP per capita (current US$) with Population ages 15-19, male, per capita across 211 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.85
- Holding size constant
- -0.80
- Countries compared
- 211
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
A possible link between GDP per capita and the proportion of young males is urbanization and education, as wealthier countries may have lower birth rates and more access to education. However, a careful reader should be cautious about potential confounders like access to healthcare. Education level could be a likely confounder.
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 relationship between wealth and youth population demographics, when other factors like education and healthcare access may be driving the association.
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.