More or Less

Is the UK state pension really the lowest in Europe?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week: (00:42) Is the UK uniquely miserly when it comes to the state pension? That’s the story a viral social media post is telling - b...

2026-10-07

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The Uzbekistan-shaped hole in an influential climate cost paper

How much could climate change cost the global economy? That would be a very useful thing to know, and scientists have developed statistical models that they think can help give a reasonable answer. ...

2026-10-03

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Does the UK really have nine out of the ten poorest regions in Northern Europe?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week: (00:40) Does the UK account for nine out of ten of the poorest regions in Northern Europe? It’s a classic story of devil meets det...

2026-09-30

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Trump fact-check: Do the US and Venezuela have 60% of the world’s oil?

US president Donald Trump has claimed in a speech to the UN that the US and Venezuela combined now have 60% of the world’s oil. 100% of the team on More or Less were confused. What measurement was t...

2026-09-26

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Has the UK’s productivity puzzle been solved?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week: (00:42) Frustrated economists have been left rending their garments and howling in the streets after the UK’s ‘productivity puzzle...

2026-09-23

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Are carrots becoming less nutritious?

Are fruit and vegetables less nutritious than they used to be? And is declining soil quality to blame? Loyal listener Sarah got in touch to ask us to investigate an interesting quote from Dr Karan Raj...

2026-09-19

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Are bad teeth the number one reason kids go to A&E?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week: (00:33) Are crumbling teeth the number one reason children attend A&E? We drill down into the dental health of the nation’s ki...

2026-09-16

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Could this be the strongest El Niño in 1,000 Years?

Every year, climate scientists keep a close eye on data coming out of a particular area of the Pacific Ocean. They’re trying to measure the scale of a climate phenomenon - the El Niño event or effect....

2026-09-12

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Why are so many ex-prisoners being sent back to prison?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week: (00:38) The number of people being recalled to prison after early release in England and Wales is rising sharply. Why? (07:37) Is...

2026-09-09

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Is every card shuffle unique?

Can it really be true that every shuffle of a deck of cards is unique? Mathematician and stand-up comedian Matt Parker claims that every time you do a shuffle, the cards have never been in that order ...

2026-09-05

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Bonus podcast: Norman Numbers

What's this, an extra podcast? Has Christmas come early? No, the Bayeux Tapestry has instead returned to England for the first time in almost 1000 years. To mark the occasion, we've compiled six sn...

2026-09-04

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Do Germans really take 19.5 days of sick leave per year?

How do different countries compare, in terms of the amount of time that workers take as sick leave? Loyal listener Dave got in touch to ask us to look at a surprising statistic he saw in the news – t...

2026-08-29

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How much of the world isn’t owned by anyone?

Sometimes world events of massive practical significance lead our minds towards some lovely impractical thoughts. So it was for loyal listener, Nigel. Pondering the conflict in Iran, and the maritime...

2026-08-22

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14 million deaths or zero deaths? The impact of the USAID cuts

As part of their mandate to stop 'waste, fraud and abuse' in federal government spending, DOGE, the department of Government Efficiency, made large cuts to the amount of money the US spent on foreign ...

2026-08-15

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How much of all the money in the world does Elon Musk have?

Earlier this year, South African-born tech tycoon Elon Musk briefly became the world’s first dollar trillionaire. This prompted loyal listener Stephen to email the More or Less team, to ask us to in...

2026-08-08

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Would you take £50,000 or a 50/50 chance of £1m?

If you had a choice between instantly receiving £50,000 or a 50% chance to win £1m, which would you pick? When YouGov asked exactly that question to people in the UK, 73% said they would take the £50...

2026-08-01

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The mistake in Trump’s tariff formula

What is the error in the calculation Donald Trump used to work out his new tariffs? What happened when the government ordered a recount of bobbies on the beat? When is a tax freeze not a tax freeze...

2026-07-30

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Is crime in London ‘through the roof’?

The crime rate in London has been cropping up regularly on social media and in political discussions - US president Donald Trump has claimed that crime in the city is ‘through the roof’. But what doe...

2026-07-25

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How much luck do you need to win the World Cup?

As the 2026 World Cup approaches its end, what is the biggest factor in who wins? Is it extraordinary moments of attacking magic? Gritty defensive organisation? Or is it all just a question of luck an...

2026-07-18

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Does playing tennis make you live 9.7 years longer?

Recently a post did the rounds on Twitter, claiming that people who play tennis live on average 9.7 years longer than people who play other sports. The figure comes from a recent analysis of people's...

2026-07-11

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