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US Federal Debt Outstanding vs US Forest Area
US Federal Debt Outstanding and US Forest Area correlate at r = +0.88 over 34 years (1990–2023), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = -0.29. Likely spurious (shared time trend).
Verdict: Likely spurious (shared time trend). Both series mostly just trend over time. After removing that trend the correlation collapses to -0.29 — the relationship is probably coincidental, not causal.
- Pearson r
- +0.88
- p-value
- < 0.0001
- Years compared (n)
- 34 (1990–2023)
- 95% confidence interval
- 0.77 to 0.94
- Correlation with the time trend removed
- -0.29
Sources
- US Federal Debt Outstanding (USD): U.S. Treasury. Total US federal debt outstanding at the end of each fiscal year (U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data).
- US Forest Area (% of land): World Bank. US Forest Area (World Bank indicator AG.LND.FRST.ZS).
Related pairs
- US Renewable Energy Share vs US Federal Debt Outstanding (r = +0.99)
- US Wind Power Generation vs US Federal Debt Outstanding (r = +0.99)
- US Forest Area vs US Mobile Subscriptions (r = +0.98)
- US Federal Debt Outstanding vs US GDP (current US$) (r = +0.97)
- US Forest Area vs US Resident Patent Applications (r = +0.97)
- US Adult Obesity vs US Forest Area (r = +0.97)
Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.