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The Stats of the Nation: Immigration, benefits and inequality
New Jan 09, 2026 28 min

The Stats of the Nation: Immigration, benefits and inequality

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.In the final epi...

The Stats of the Nation: Sex, drugs and empty homes
New Jan 07, 2026 29 min

The Stats of the Nation: Sex, drugs and empty homes

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.In the third epi...

The Stats of the Nation: Health
New Jan 06, 2026 28 min

The Stats of the Nation: Health

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.In the second ep...

The Stats of the Nation: The Economy
Jan 05, 2026 28 min

The Stats of the Nation: The Economy

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.In the first epi...

Numbers of the year 2026
Jan 03, 2026 8 min

Numbers of the year 2026

From record-breaking passenger numbers, to some more record-breaking numbers - courtesy of the Men’s football World Cup. We look forward to what 2026 might have in store for us - numerically of cou...

Numbers of the year 2025
Dec 31, 2025 27 min

Numbers of the year 2025

From the number of women in space and transistors on a chip to social media usage -we’re taking a look back the key numerical moments of 2025. We explore the woes of a big infrastructure projects. ...

Numbers of the year 2025
Dec 27, 2025 8 min

Numbers of the year 2025

We look back at some stand out numbers of 2025. How significant were Trump’s import tariffs? China sets the pace for solar power installation across the globe. We also look upwards to a particularl...

Were there really Three Wise Men?
Dec 24, 2025 28 min

Were there really Three Wise Men?

The surprising things we learn when we count everyone - a tour of the UK census through time. We also figure out just how many parking officers there are versus soldiers in the British army. Who re...

The shocking world of US health costs
Dec 20, 2025 8 min

The shocking world of US health costs

A loyal listener wrote in to question this claim made by neuroscientist Dr Daniel Levitin: "Here in the US valium in a pharmacy might be $3 that same pill in a hospital setting might be $750."Our l...

Do we really have ‘superflu’?
Dec 17, 2025 28 min

Do we really have ‘superflu’?

The NHS is warning of an unprecedented flu season - we check what the numbers say.Is there really a mass exodus of Brits leaving the UK due to Labour tax policies? We look at the latest emigration ...

RCP 8.5: Why did the climate change model get it wrong?
Dec 13, 2025 8 min

RCP 8.5: Why did the climate change model get it wrong?

Whether we like it or not, global warming is happening. The global temperature has already gone up, and it’s going to go up more, because the atmosphere is already full of carbon dioxide and other ...

Is RFK right about US sperm counts?
Dec 06, 2025 8 min

Is RFK right about US sperm counts?

Around the world, many countries are concerned about tackling the decline in birth rates and total fertility rates. The US is no exception. To tackle this issue the US government announced tha...

Richard Thaler and The Winner’s Curse
Nov 29, 2025 8 min

Richard Thaler and The Winner’s Curse

In the later part of the 20th century, a pioneering group of economists started shaking up their academic field.These “behavioural economists” used findings from experimental psychology and everyda...

Is there a stock market crash coming?
Nov 22, 2025 8 min

Is there a stock market crash coming?

For months, the share prices of tech companies have marched seemingly-ever upward, driven by fevered excitement about the potential of Artificial Intelligence. But many are now voicing fears that t...

Is RFK Jr right about China's diabetes rate?
Nov 08, 2025 8 min

Is RFK Jr right about China's diabetes rate?

The US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr is on a mission to make America healthy again. One of his health-promotion ideas is to reduce chronic illness, specifically diabetes. And has part of ...

Is your housework split sexist?
Oct 25, 2025 8 min

Is your housework split sexist?

Do you ever have fights with your partner about who does more of the housework and whether it’s fair? Well data might have the answer. Corinne Low is an associate professor at the Wharton School a...