What’s in the Basket of Goods? 70 years of shopping history

13 March 2018
By ONS Digital

For seven decades the Office for National Statistics has been using a notional ‘Basket of Goods and Services’ to help measure the rising and falling cost of products and services over time, known as consumer price inflation.

Who does the UK trade with?

3 January 2018
By Darren Waters

Explore the UK’s trade relationships through interactive maps, charts and analysis.

The productivity slowdown: The what, the how, but little evidence of the why

27 November 2017
By Darren Waters

The UK government has unveiled its industrial strategy, which is seeking, among other things, to help boost the productivity of the country. Productivity is a much-talked about aspect of the economy – but what is it and why is it stagnating?

London had the smallest gender pay gap 20 years ago, but now it has the largest

27 November 2017
By ONS Digital

The pay gap between men and women working in London has barely changed in over two decades, new ONS analysis shows. While in 1997 the capital had the narrowest gender pay gap, there has been little improvement since then. Other regions in the UK have seen more movement towards pay equality over time. Women working […]

UK interest rate rise: what’s changed in the last decade?

2 November 2017
By Philip Leake

Concerns about “inflation over target” and “limited” slack in the economy have prompted the Bank of England to raise interest rates for the first time in more than a decade.

The UK contribution to the EU budget

31 October 2017
By Darren Waters

The financial relationship between the UK and the European Union (EU) continues to be a major talking point as the terms of Brexit are negotiated. In 2016, the government spent £814.6 billion on all aspects of public spending, but how much does the UK pay to the EU as a current member? What about the […]

Shrinkflation and the changing cost of chocolate

24 July 2017
By

No, you’re not imagining it – some of your favourite sweets really are shrinking. In November 2016, Toblerone chocolate bars reduced in size by about 10%, provoking outrage online. And Maltesers, M&Ms and Minstrels have gone the same way. It’s a phenomenon known as “shrinkflation” – where manufacturers reduce the package size of household goods […]

Where are industry eyes on Brexit?

17 July 2017
By Philip Leake

As Brexit negotiations progress, the staff and leaders of British industry will be keeping a keen eye on developments.

What’s changed since the Brexit vote?

23 June 2017
By Philip Leake

It’s been more than 18 months since the UK voted to leave the EU after more than 40 years of membership.

Are we training enough people to become programmers?

19 June 2017
By

In 2012, it was decided that computing should be introduced as a GCSE, in an attempt to revive the legacy of mathematician and wartime codebreaker Alan Turing.