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US Fertility Rate vs US GDP (current US$)

US Fertility Rate and US GDP (current US$) correlate at r = -0.52 over 64 years (1960–2023), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = +0.55. Direction flips without the trend.

Verdict: Direction flips without the trend. The raw correlation is -0.52, but once each series' time trend is removed it becomes 0.55. The year-to-year movements run the opposite way to the long-run trends, so the headline number is misleading.

Pearson r
-0.52
p-value
< 0.0001
Years compared (n)
64 (1960–2023)
95% confidence interval
-0.68 to -0.32
Correlation with the time trend removed
+0.55

Sources

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Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.