Introduction: Blue economics research is a research field that is achieving more and more interest among international scientists. This study adds more knowledge as it aims to investigate the causal relationships between blue economic factors - living and non-living resources, ocean energy, port activities, shipbuilding and repair, maritime transport, coastal tourism, human development indicator, per capita income, fish capture, internal renewable water resources per capita, marine protected areas, greenhouse gas emissions and population density, all factors related to maritime activities - and the blue economy (BE) itself.