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More or Less: Behind the Stats, How do you make something 10-times more lethal?

More or Less: Behind the Stats

How do you make something 10-times more lethal?

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June 11, 2025

28 minutes

Available for over a year

What does the government mean when it commits to developing a “10-times more lethal” army?

Why was the much-missed Sycamore Gap tree said to be worth a strikingly exact £622,191?

Are there really twice as many people teaching Yoga as there are in the fishing industry?

Is the number of workers per pensioner really falling from 4 to 3 to 2? And what did Donald Trump mean when he said the price of eggs had fallen by 400%?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. If you want us to look at a number you think looks a bit suspicious, email the team - [email protected]

Please note an earlier edition of the programme incorrectly stated that the new EU-UK fishing agreement would last 4 years. The agreement length is 12 years.

More or Less is produced in partnership with the Open University.

Presenter: Tim Harford

Reporter: Lizzy McNeill

Producer: Nicholas Barrett

Series producer: Tom Colls

Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown

Sound mix: Neil Churchill

Editor: Richard Vadon