More males per GDP unit linked to fewer imports per capita
Comparing Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, per unit of GDP with Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita across 148 countries, 2018–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.95
- Holding size constant
- -0.93
- Countries compared
- 148
- Period
- 2018–2025
What might link these
The relationship might be driven by differences in economic structures or gender roles across countries. A careful reader should consider that education levels, a likely confounder, could influence both indicators. The correlation could be masking more complex interactions between these variables.
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 gender distribution and trade patterns, when in fact other factors like economic development or cultural norms might be driving the association.
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.