IMF reserves linked to less corruption
Comparing Executive Corruption Index with Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita across 170 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.57
- Holding size constant
- -0.42
- Countries compared
- 170
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
A possible link between these indicators could be that countries with stronger economic fundamentals, as reflected in their IMF reserve position, may have more robust institutions and less corruption. However, a careful reader should be cautious about potential confounders such as the level of economic development or political stability. The relationship might be influenced by these 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 does not necessarily imply that having more IMF reserves directly reduces executive corruption.
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.