Fewer older women as younger women grow faster
Comparing Population ages 70-74, female, per capita with Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate across 214 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.66
- Holding size constant
- -0.61
- Countries compared
- 214
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
The correlation might be linked to demographic transitions, where countries with rapidly growing young populations have relatively fewer older citizens. A careful reader should consider education and healthcare as potential confounders. Urbanization could also play a role in shaping these demographics.
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 age groups, when in fact it may be driven by broader societal and economic factors.
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.