OECD Regional Outlook 2023
The Longstanding Geography of Inequalities
Over the last two decades, regional inequalities have remained significant, and have
grown within many OECD countries. Impacts of recent shocks, including the COVID-19
pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and megatrends, threaten
to widen these gaps between regions, deepening the longstanding geography of inequalities.
This report, Regional Outlook 2023 – The Longstanding Geography of Inequalities, provides
novel evidence on the evolution of inequalities between OECD regions across several
dimensions (including income and access to services) over the past twenty years. It
sheds light on the role of productivity to address regional inequalities. It also
looks at the costs of regional inequalities, which can weaken the economic, social,
and political fabric, and lead to a geography of discontent. Furthermore, the report
explores forward-looking scenarios for regions as part of ongoing reflections to future-proof
regional development policy and secure social cohesion. Finally, it provides a policy
roadmap to guide governments’ efforts to reduce persistent regional inequalities now
and in the future.
Published on October 02, 2023 Latest available edition in: French
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