North of England ‘would rank second worst for investment’ if OECD country

Broken windows and shuttered shops in Collyhurst, Manchester. The research aims to put the north’s situation in an international context. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

If the north of England were a country, it would be second bottom of a league table showing levels of investment in advanced economies, according to a report by a leading thinktank.

Only Greece has lower levels of public and private investment in a ranking of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries compiled by researchers at IPPR North, the northern branch of the influential Institute for Public Policy Research.