GDP per capita inversely related to young males per GDP unit
Comparing GDP per capita (current US$) with Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP across 212 countries, 2011–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.99
- Holding size constant
- -0.99
- Countries compared
- 212
- Period
- 2011–2025
What might link these
The strong inverse relationship might be due to countries with higher GDP per capita having more resources to invest in education and family planning, potentially reducing the proportion of young males. However, a careful reader should be cautious about potential confounders like education level or cultural factors influencing family size. The control for population and GDP suggests the relationship is not solely driven by these 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 link between GDP per capita and demographic structures without considering other socioeconomic 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.