Younger populations spend less per capita
Comparing Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) with Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita across 170 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.84
- Holding size constant
- -0.75
- Countries compared
- 170
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
The negative correlation might be linked to countries with younger populations having different consumption patterns or priorities. A careful reader should consider that education expenditure, as a likely confounder, could influence both indicators. The relationship could be driven by various socioeconomic 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 relationship between age demographics and consumption expenditure, when in fact other factors like urbanization or government policies might be driving the observed pattern.
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.