Housing prices in large cities have risen rapidly, worsening affordability issues. Housing costs in large functional urban areas (cities with over 1.5 million inhabitants), increased by 68% over the past decade, meaning that in 2023, housing in large cities was 86% more expensive than in very small cities (with less than 100 000 inhabitants). Yet the report also finds that between 2010-20, the built-up area in remote regions experiencing population decline expanded by 11%, a faster pace than metropolitan regions with population growth.

Regional labour shortages vary widely within the OECD. Capital-city regions often face greater shortages, especially in smaller countries like Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest and Prague. In larger countries or those with more migration, such as Belgium, France and Norway, capitals like Brussels and Oslo face less pressure.

With 2023 marking the hottest year ever recorded, regional disparities in climate change impacts are becoming increasingly evident. Within countries, the region most impacted by rising temperatures from 1981-2010 to 2023 saw rises 0.7°C higher than the region least affected. Projections suggest that some OECD regions will also face a significant rise in extreme temperatures. By 2041–60, Australia's Northern Territory is expected to experience an additional 74 hot days per year - bringing the total to 179 days annually with maximum daily temperatures exceeding 35°C - while Tasmania is projected to have none.

The gender divide in poverty rates is an ongoing issue in OECD regions, with 15% of women living in relative poverty, compared to 13% of men. In 83% of regions, the female poverty rate was higher than that of males in 2023, with little variation over the last 12 years. The gap between the region with the highest and lowest risk of female poverty compared to men was 5.7 p.p. on average across OECD countries. This gap goes above 8 percentage points in Colombia, France, Lithuania, Spain and the United States.