GDP per capita falls as GDP rises per unit
Comparing GDP per capita (current US$) with GDP (current LCU), per unit of GDP across 212 countries, 2011–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.64
- Holding size constant
- -0.50
- Countries compared
- 212
- Period
- 2011–2025
What might link these
A possible link between these indicators could be related to economic structures or efficiencies in countries, where higher GDP per unit might reflect more complex economies with lower individual wealth. However, a careful reader should be cautious about the influence of exchange rates, which could be a likely confounder. The relationship might also be driven by other underlying factors not accounted for in the analysis.
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 might be driven by the choice of currency units rather than a meaningful economic relationship.
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.