Young males per GDP link to GDP per capita
Comparing GDP per capita with Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP across 209 countries, 2011–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.98
- Holding size constant
- -0.97
- Countries compared
- 209
- Period
- 2011–2025
What might link these
The strong negative correlation might suggest that countries with higher GDP per capita tend to have lower proportions of young males relative to their GDP, possibly due to demographic transitions or differences in economic structures. A careful reader should consider education as a likely confounder, as it can influence both indicators. The relationship could be driven by various underlying factors.
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 the two indicators, when in fact it may be driven by other factors such as education or healthcare.
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.