Countries with more young dependents export fewer commercial services per GDP unit.
Comparing Commercial service exports (current US$) with Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP across 185 countries, 2018–2025.
- Rank correlation
- -0.65
- Holding size constant
- -0.84
- Countries compared
- 185
- Period
- 2018–2025
What might link these
A high share of young dependents may reduce labor force flexibility or divert resources to education/health, potentially lowering commercial service exports. Alternatively, countries with younger populations might prioritize other sectors. A careful reader should note that GDP is in the denominator of both indicators, which could artificially inflate the correlation.
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 shared denominator (GDP) in both indicators may create a spurious mechanical relationship.
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.