Countries with more imports have higher metal imports
Comparing Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$) with Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) across 147 countries, 2019–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.65
- Holding size constant
- +0.44
- Countries compared
- 147
- Period
- 2019–2025
What might link these
The correlation might be driven by countries with larger economies or more manufacturing activity, which could increase demand for both overall imports and metal imports. A careful reader should consider the role of industrialization as a potential confounder. The relationship may also be influenced by global supply chains and trade agreements.
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 suggesting a direct link between overall imports and metal imports, when in fact it may be driven by underlying factors like industrialization and economic development.
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.