Consumption expenditure correlates with GDP per capita
Comparing GDP (constant 2015 US$), per capita with Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per capita across 180 countries, 2011–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.97
- Holding size constant
- +0.95
- Countries compared
- 180
- Period
- 2011–2025
What might link these
The strong correlation might be due to a country's economic growth enabling increased household spending. However, a careful reader should consider education level as a potential confounder, as it could influence both GDP and consumption patterns. The relationship could also be driven by other 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 causal link between GDP and consumption expenditure, when in fact other variables may be driving the 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.