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Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.

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Episodes (824 available)

News imageMore or Less, Bonus podcast: Norman Numbers

Six snack-sized synopses of Bayeux Tapestry-related stats

4 Sept 2026

7 mins

News imageMore or Less, Do Germans really take 19.5 days of sick leave per year?

Investigating how much sick leave is taken on average around the world

29 Aug 2026

9 mins

News imageMore or Less, How much of the world isn’t owned by anyone?

Explaining the story behind the un-owned parts of the land and sea

22 Aug 2026

9 mins

News imageMore or Less, 14 million deaths or zero deaths? The impact of the USAID cuts

The complexities of calculating lives saved and lives lost.

15 Aug 2026

9 mins

News imageMore or Less, How much of all the money in the world does Elon Musk have?

Calculating Elon Musk’s personal share of total global wealth

8 Aug 2026

9 mins

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

How to understand risk-averse financial decision making.

1 Aug 2026

9 mins

News imageMore or Less, Is crime in London ‘through the roof’?

How does violent crime in London compare to other global cities?

25 Jul 2026

9 mins

News imageMore or Less, How much luck do you need to win the World Cup?

Investigating the role of random chance in football

18 Jul 2026

9 mins

News imageMore or Less, Does the average teacher really earn £54,000?

Tim Harford investigates teacher pay, Russian soldier deaths and card-shuffling maths.

8 Jul 2026

28 mins

News imageMore or Less, Does a full moon make crime rates go up?

Holding the moon to account for its role in crime rates

4 Jul 2026

9 mins

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