Primary enrollment linked to economic value
Comparing Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$) with Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled across 184 countries, 2018–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.63
- Holding size constant
- -0.49
- Countries compared
- 184
- Period
- 2018–2025
What might link these
The relationship between primary enrollment and gross value added might be influenced by factors such as the overall development and investment in education and infrastructure within a country. A careful reader should consider the potential impact of a country's literacy rate or educational attainment as a likely confounder. The correlation controlling for population and GDP suggests a more complex relationship than initially apparent.
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 education enrollment and economic output, when in fact other factors like government spending priorities or societal values may be driving both indicators.
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.