Gifts for economists that are not a mug with a supply curve on it
Nine data posters an economist would actually hang up, from £2.99 for a phone wallpaper to £12.99 printed. Every one is a real dataset with the source printed on it.
See the picks The personalised year posterGifts → For economists
The problem with buying for an economist is that most ‘economics gifts’ are jokes about supply and demand, and the joke wears off in a week. The things that survive on a wall are the ones that are still interesting on the hundredth look — usually because there is a real number on them that the person can argue with.
Everything below is drawn to scale from a published dataset, with the source and year printed on the poster. They are the sort of thing that starts an argument at a dinner party, which is roughly what you want.
How to choose
Three questions get you most of the way there.
Do they work in macro or something applied? Macro people tend to like the whole-world charts — GDP, debt, the biggest economies. Applied and trade people gravitate to exports, imports and manufacturing, because those are the numbers they actually use.
Is it for an office or a home? Office walls get seen by colleagues, so the striking whole-world charts work best. Home offices can take something more personal — the year they were born, for instance.
Do they already have opinions about the data? If so, buy the chart they disagree with. It will get more wall time than one they agree with.
The picks
Prices shown are for the printed matte poster. Most designs are also sold as a printable download at £3.99 and a phone wallpaper pack at £2.99.
World GDP 2026
The $126 trillion world economy, every country sized by GDP. The one most people pick first.
£12.99 printed
World’s Biggest Economies 2026
The top 5, 10 and 25 economies broken out — the chart for arguing about rankings.
£12.99 printed
World Debt 2026
$118 trillion of government debt, drawn to scale. Reliably provocative.
£12.99 printed
Adam Smith Portrait
The classic engraved portrait. The safe choice if you know nothing else about them.
£11.99 printed
The World’s Biggest Exporters
China’s $3.58 trillion of exports against a $23.97 trillion world total.
£12.99 printed
The World’s Biggest Importers
The import side — $3.36 trillion into the US alone.
£12.99 printed
The World’s Biggest Manufacturers 2024
China out-manufactures all of Europe combined. The chart makes it obvious.
£12.99 printed
The World’s Biggest High-tech Exporters 2024
Who actually exports high technology, which is not who most people guess.
£12.99 printed
Printed, printable or wallpaper?
Every design here comes in three forms. The printed matte poster is made to order on 189 gsm paper and posted unframed. The printable download is £3.99, arrives instantly, and comes in four frame ratios with a printing guide — the right call if you have left it late or want to print large locally. The phone wallpaper pack is £2.99 for three designs, which makes it the only thing on this site that works as a genuine sub-£5 Secret Santa.
Questions
Is this suitable for an economics student rather than a professional?
Yes — the same charts work, and the £3.99 printable version suits a student budget and a rented wall. If they are applying to university, the personal statement side of the site may be more useful than a poster.
What if they already own a world map?
These are not maps. Each country is drawn at the size of its economy, population or emissions rather than its land area, so they sit alongside a map rather than replacing it.
Do the posters come framed?
No. They ship rolled and unframed, which keeps postage sensible and lets the recipient match their own frames. All sizes are standard, so shop-bought frames fit.
Where does the data come from?
Each poster names its source and year on the print itself — World Bank, UN, IMF, SIPRI or Our World in Data, depending on the dataset. Nothing here is invented or rounded for effect.
What size should I get?
These are dense graphics with a lot of small countries on them. If it is going to be the main thing on a wall, go large — at the smallest sizes the smaller countries get tight.
Still deciding?
If you know roughly when they were born, the personalised year poster is the safer bet — it is the one gift here that is about them rather than about economics.
The personalised year poster Browse the shop