GNI and imports per capita are linked
Comparing GNI (current LCU) with Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita across 183 countries, 2011–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.71
- Holding size constant
- +0.91
- Countries compared
- 183
- Period
- 2011–2025
What might link these
The strong correlation between GNI and imports per capita might be due to a country's overall economic activity, with higher GNI enabling more imports. A careful reader should consider that inflation could be a confounder, affecting both GNI and import values. The relationship may not be straightforward, with many factors at play.
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 relationship between GNI and imports, when in fact other economic factors may be driving both indicators.
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.