Scatter plots
Put two measures on one chart, one point per country, to see how they relate in the same year. A pattern shows that two things go together; it does not show that one causes the other.
Ready-made plots
GDP per capita and life expectancy
GDP per capita, PPP across, Life expectancy at birth up, one point per country.
GDP per capita and CO2 emissions per person
GDP per capita, PPP across, CO2 emissions per person up, one point per country.
Health spending and life expectancy
Health spending per person across, Life expectancy at birth up, one point per country.
GDP per capita and internet use
GDP per capita, PPP across, Internet users up, one point per country.
Fertility and women's labour force participation
Fertility rate across, Women's labour force participation up, one point per country.
Urbanisation and GDP per capita
Urban population share across, GDP per capita, PPP up, one point per country.
R&D spending and patent applications in Europe
R&D spending share of GDP across, European patent applications up, one point per country.
Tertiary education and employment in Europe
Tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 34 across, Employment rate, ages 20 to 64 up, one point per country.
Median income and the at-risk-of-poverty rate
Median equivalised net income across, At-risk-of-poverty rate up, one point per country.
Renewable energy share and emissions per person in Europe
Renewable energy share across, Greenhouse gas emissions per person up, one point per country.
How to read a scatter plot
Each point is one country, placed by its value on two measures for the same year. Points that rise from left to right show that the two measures tend to be high together; points that fall show the opposite. Points far from the overall pattern are the interesting exceptions.
Each plot states the correlation, a number from −1 to 1 for how closely the points follow a straight line, and names the countries furthest from the pattern. Two measures that go together are not proof that one causes the other: both can depend on a third thing, such as income. Methodology