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Is Uganda about to become a middle income country?
In his State of the Nation address in early June 2022, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni said that Uganda was on the cusp of becoming a middle income country. That’s been contradicted by World Bank …
Published on 3 years, 5 months ago
Does it take 10,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans?
Various claims have been made about how much water is used in the production of a pair of jeans, that cornerstone of casual clothing. With growing worries over the environmental impact of denim produ…
Published on 3 years, 5 months ago
How many American women will have an abortion in their lifetime?
Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court overturned its 1973 ruling on Roe vs Wade - the case which guaranteed a constitutional right to a legal abortion across the US, sparking heated protests and d…
Published on 3 years, 5 months ago
Covid climb, childcare costs and why can’t the French count properly?
Covid cases are rising once again – how accurately are official figures picking up the new wave and how worried we should be? We discuss inflationary spirals and how much wage and pension increases c…
Published on 3 years, 6 months ago
Ed Sheeran and the mathematics of musical coincidences
After beating a plagiarism claim in court, musician Ed Sheeran said that musical coincidences were inevitable with only 12 notes to choose from… but what do the numbers say? Mathematician and concert…
Published on 3 years, 6 months ago
Rail strikes, tyre pollution and sex statistics
Do rail workers really earn £13,000 a year more than nurses? As rail strikes severely hit services we look at some of the claims being made around pay – and explain how you can measure average pay in…
Published on 3 years, 6 months ago
How often do people have sex?
Magazine articles and advice columns are commonly littered with spurious statistics about how much sex we’re having. So how much do we really know – and what are the difficulties of collecting inform…
Published on 3 years, 6 months ago
Maternity litigation, stars, bees and windowless planes
The former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says that the cost of maternity litigation claims in England is now more than the cost of salaries for maternity nurses and doctors. We crunch the numbers and …
Published on 3 years, 6 months ago
Hannah Fry: Understanding the numbers of cancer
British mathematics professor and broadcaster Hannah Fry has spent many years trying to explain the world through numbers. But when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer she embarked on a new missio…
Published on 3 years, 6 months ago
Employment puzzle, pyramids and triplets
The UK has a low unemployment rate, and a large number of people who are not working right now – we look at how both of these are true with the help of Chris Giles from the FT and Louise Murphy from …
Published on 3 years, 6 months ago