The benefits of distinctive urban architecture extend far beyond the buildings themselves, but the costs are borne by the developers. This can lead to underinvestment in high-quality design – and it raises the question of whether policy should encourage better architecture. 👇

The FT 1000 fastest-growing European companies list shows the UK still punches above its weight in Fintech, Financial Services and Insurance compared to European peers, while France and Germany perform better in Construction and Engineering. #ChartOfTheDay

NEW on the Economics Observatory – Why don’t we have nicer buildings? By @ahlfeldt.bsky.social, Ailin Zhang & Elisabetta Pietrostefani

JUST PUBLISHED – Why don’t we have nicer buildings? By @ahlfeldt.bsky.social, Ailin Zhang & Elisabetta Pietrostefani

Economic uncertainty is surging as a top business challenge (32%), second only to labour costs, signaling growing anxiety about the macroeconomic outlook heading into 2026. #ChartOfTheDay

UK total debt is 239% of GDP. Government debt remains above 100% after the pandemic, among the highest in the G7. Corporate debt is the lowest in the group at 61%, while household debt is 76%, which is higher than France or Italy, but below Canada. #ChartOfTheDay

NEW on the Economics Observatory – How can the West of England contribute to UK economic growth? By Lucy Martin of @thebrunelcentre.bsky.social 👇

With geopolitical instability and supply chain pressures showing no sign of abating, UK households continue to face a persistent cost of living squeeze. A basket of six grocery essentials has risen sharply since 2021 and remains at historically elevated levels. #ChartOfTheDay

The UK has the lowest investment rate among major OECD economies, and while investment has been falling across OECD countries since the 1970s, Britain has consistently sat at the bottom of the pack, hovering around 17-19% of GDP in recent years. #ChartOfTheDay

UK real wages have barely grown since 2007: from $62,816 to $63,691 by 2024 (+1.4%). Meanwhile, the US rose 18%, Poland 63%, South Korea 46%, and the OECD average climbed. Ireland briefly overtook the UK in 2020 but fell to $60,431 by 2024, down 7.5%. #ChartOfTheDay

From Q2 2024 to Q2 2025, the share of UK travelers visiting Europe rose by nearly 2 percentage points, while travel to other regions declined, especially for holidays, suggesting a shift toward cheaper trips closer to home. #ChartOfTheDay

NEW on the Economics Observatory – How might distressed fintech firms affect UK growth and private debt? By Ilias Chondrogiannis & Michael Chatzipanagiotis

JUST PUBLISHED – How might distressed fintech firms affect UK growth and private debt? By Ilias Chondrogiannis & Michael Chatzipanagiotis

Brent Crude prices surged 40% in early March, peaking near $100/bbl after Operation Epic Fury began. While volatile due to Tehran’s leadership vacuum and refinery strikes, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sustained a massive risk premium not seen in the market for years. #ChartOfTheDay

While Dynamic Asia more than doubled its GDP per capita since 2000 and Latin American peers saw significant gains, Mexico's GDP per capita have barely budged. However, the levers for catch-up are known and initiatives like Plan México signal growing ambition to close the gap. #ChartOfTheDay

UK nominal debt surged between 1987 and 2025. Holdings shifted dramatically: foreign and central bank ownership spiked post-2008, QE drove central bank holdings to peak around 2021, before unwinding. Pensions and insurance remain a stable but shrinking share of total debt. #ChartOfTheDay

Population fears have flipped. Overpopulation dominated discourse around 1970 but has since faded. Today, ageing and dependency are the top concerns. The demographic concern never left, it just reversed direction. #ChartOfTheDay

Population forecasts have failed to capture the decline in births. With every new release since 2010, the UN has revised down its previous forecast. These revisions show that populations are not only ageing, but ageing at an accelerating rate, and faster than previously expected. #ChartOfTheDay

For the first time ever, more UK students are choosing Spanish over French at GCSE Spanish entries have nearly doubled since 2004, rising from 70k to 137k. French, once the undisputed top language in UK classrooms with 320k entries, has fallen to 133k. #ChartOfTheDay

Higher productivity broadly means higher household incomes across the UK, but not equally so. English regions with a GVA of £30–£40 per hour worked tend to out-earn Scottish regions at similar productivity, suggesting productivity gains don't translate uniformly to living standards. #ChartOfTheDay

Measles cases in the US are surging to levels not seen in decades. By week 9 of 2026, the US has already reported around 1,200 cases, putting this year on pace to blow past 2025's alarming total of 2,200+ cases. A disease we nearly eliminated is making a comeback. #ChartOfTheDay

UK productivity has stagnated since 2008, but the story varies by sector. From 2019 to 2025, sectors like IT increased productivity per worker, while the Finance and Insurance sector became less productive per worker. The net effect is slow productivity growth at just 2.8%. #ChartOfTheDay

Four years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. What have we learned about the economics dimensions of the war? A thread on sanctions, energy, and what comes next 🧵👇

This week at the Economics Observatory, we explore issues around falling fertility and ageing populations – from why people in rich countries are having fewer children to the global economic consequences, and how demographic factors such as age shape wellbeing.

Research evidence suggests that the Brexit referendum had uneven social consequences. Younger people from ethnic minorities living in areas of the country with stronger support for Leave experienced a deterioration in their mental health after the vote. 👇

Global fertility has fallen to around 2.25 births per woman in 2023, down from around five in the mid-20th century. #ChartOfTheDay

JUST PUBLISHED – Baby Bust This week at the Economics Observatory, we explore issues around falling fertility and ageing populations – from why people in rich countries are having fewer children to the global economic consequences, and how demographic factors such as age shape wellbeing.

NEW on the Economics Observatory – How did Brexit affect the mental health of ethnic minority youth? By @valediiasio.bsky.social @corradogiulietti.bsky.social & @jackiewahba.bsky.social

JUST PUBLISHED – How did Brexit affect the mental health of ethnic minority youth? By @valediiasio.bsky.social @corradogiulietti.bsky.social & @jackiewahba.bsky.social

Fertility rates have fallen rapidly in the UK and other high-income countries in recent years. Education, economic uncertainty and changing gender roles are among the factors that have played a part. Keeping the combination of causes in mind is essential for designing effective policy responses.

TODAY on the Economics Observatory – Population ageing and decline: what policies might mitigate the downsides? By Amanda Hill-Dixon

NEW on the Economics Observatory– From costs to culture: what’s behind falling fertility in rich countries? By @ann-berrington.bsky.social & Hill Kulu

More than two-thirds of humanity now live in countries where fertility has fallen below the level needed for a stable population. This demographic shift is transforming economies, raising questions about ageing populations, shrinking workforces and the sustainability of welfare states. 🔎👇

JUST PUBLISHED – From costs to culture: what’s behind falling fertility in rich countries? By @ann-berrington.bsky.social & Hill Kulu

NEW on the Economics Observatory – How could falling birth rates reshape the global economy? By Federica Coelli & Pablo García Guzmán @ebrd.bsky.social

JUST PUBLISHED – How could falling birth rates reshape the global economy? By Federica Coelli & Pablo García Guzmán @ebrd.bsky.social

TODAY on the Economics Observatory – Is gold a safe haven for investors? By Philip Fliers

GOV-UK is intended to be the single point of online access for UK government information and services. The project leader in the Government Digital Service recounts the transformation in the early 2010s of over 2,500 fragmented public websites into a ‘boring’ but efficient and award-winning site. 👇

NEW on the Economics Observatory – The UK government’s digital transformation: how did it come about? By Tom Loosemore @tomski.com

JUST PUBLISHED – The UK government’s digital transformation: how did it come about? By Tom Loosemore @tomski.com

JUST PUBLISHED – Who trusts AI? By Finn McEvoy

🤖 Does AI concern or excite you? New polling from @pewresearch.org shows concern outweighs excitement almost everywhere. In every country surveyed except Israel & South Korea, more people feel more concerned than excited about AI. #ChartOfTheDay

The Post Office scandal brought into sharp focus the risks associated with placing blind faith in technology. To learn from this troubling episode and start rebuilding public trust, policy-makers must challenge the idea of the infallibility of machines within the legal system.👇

TODAY on the Economics Observatory – Trust and technology: what went wrong with the Post Office? By J Dwyer-Joyce (@sec.cs.ucl.ac.uk) buff.ly/MihkphJ

TODAY on the Economics Observatory – UK land and property: what’s happening with freehold and leasehold reform? By Norma Cohen

TODAY on the Economics Observatory — Will digital failures undermine trust in the justice system? By Joe Tomlinson

Greenland’s Ice Sheet is melting. What’s the economic impact? 🧵 Since 1972, the Ice Sheet has shrunk by approximately 6,200 gigatonnes, a trend which accelerated markedly in the 1990s, and corresponds to an almost 18 mm rise in global mean sea level. #ChartOfTheDay #Greenland

TODAY on the Economics Observatory – The rise of artificial intelligence: What next for the UK economy? By Perspective Economics

Across the OECD, 50% of young adults still live with their parents – up 5% since 2006. But this trend isn’t universal: in Austria, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Mexico, Slovenia and the USA, the share of 20 to 29-year-olds living outside the parental home has increased. #ChartOfTheDay

TODAY on the Economics Observatory – Global defence spending: What next for European military procurement? By Keith Hartley buff.ly/mMs634i