Young females' consumption linked to national spending, but not as expected.
Comparing Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) with Age population, age 12, female, interpolated across 169 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.63
- Holding size constant
- -0.60
- Countries compared
- 169
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
While a positive initial correlation was observed, controlling for population and GDP reveals a negative relationship. This suggests that in countries with higher total consumption expenditure per capita, the relative proportion of 12-year-old females might be lower, or vice-versa. However, the specific mechanisms are unclear, and direct causation should not be inferred.
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. The negative correlation after controlling for population and GDP might be driven by underlying demographic or economic structures not fully captured by these controls.
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.