US GDP per capitaUS dog treat and chew market revenue
As GDP per capita has grown, dog treat revenue has grown, a correlation of 0.975 that is one of the more economically intuitive entries on this site: wealthier people buy more premium dog treats. The income rises, the treat upgrades from generic to artisanal, and the chart records a demand curve that any microeconomics professor would recognize. The GDP enables the splurge. The dog enjoys the result.
GDP per capita grew from about $42,000 to over $76,000. Dog treat revenue grew from about 3 billion to over 11 billion between 2005 and 2022. The correlation is partially causal: higher income enables discretionary spending on premium pet products, and pet treats are among the most income-elastic consumer categories. Wealthier households buy more expensive treats, and more households become wealthy as GDP grows.
Eighteen years of GDP and dog treats is a correlation where the mechanism is straightforward economics: more income means more discretionary spending, and premium dog treats are a textbook discretionary purchase. The wallet opens, the good boy receives, and the chart records the most genuine demand curve in the entire dataset.
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Want to learn more about why correlations like “US GDP per capita” vs “US dog treat and chew market revenue” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
