Today’s A‑level results are good news for Economics. Entries were up 5.5%, outpacing most other subjects and comparing favourably against a:
0.5% decrease across all subjects
1.5% increase in all STEM subjects
1.8% decrease in all SHAPE subjects.
Economics is now the eighth most popular A-level in England and the tenth in the UK, with entries up 36% since 2020. In England alone, there were 41,507 entries in 2025—under 250 fewer entries than sociology, business studies, and physics.
Wassgornon?
(Or “what’s happening here”, for you non-Norfolk speakers). For my money there are three interrelated factors:
1. Career potential: students want a return on their investment. With the exception of Medicine, Economics graduates earn more on average than any other. And the choice set of jobs across sectors gives brilliant flexibility.
2. Real-world relevance: has there been a time when economics has been more visible, or obviously relevant? From cost-of-living crises to climate change, AI to immigration, not a day goes by without an econ story being headline news. Those who still bleat on about economics being ‘all theory’ have no idea how economics is being taught in today’s universities - see CORE.
3. Exposure: initiatives such as our own Discover Economics are getting Econ in front of young people who would never have access to it otherwise. In 2024, DE engaged with over 10,000 young people in schools across the UK.
And yet….
…its not all good news. Schools met only 15% of recruitment targets for economics and business teachers in 2024–25, meaning that many young people who would otherwise be interested simply can’t access the subject. The Bank of England has just launched a new programme to help address this.
And diversity remains a big problem. Despite the growth in entries, only 30% of entries are from female students, a proportion largely unchanged since 2010. That’s without looking at ethnicity, socioeconomic background and other important dimensions. That’s why we think our DE campaign is so important.
A muted celebration
On its current trajectory, Econ will before long be one of the five most popular A-level subjects in England (at least…the lack of econ teachers elsewhere in the UK being another problem). But lets not kid ourselves about the work that remains to deliver a future generation of economists that is truly representative of the place we call home.