The Economist overtook fortnightly satirical title Private Eye to become the top selling news and current affairs magazine in the UK in the second half of last year.

Figures released today by the Audit Bureau of Circulations reveal that The Economist grew its sale by 11.1 per cent year on year to a record high of 210,204.

According to The Economist, its global circulation grew by 3.7 per cent over the same period to 1,473,939 copies a week. In the UK, the sale increase has largely been driven by a 17.9 per cent rise in subscriptions.