# North dominates areas needing most support with adults’ numeracy skills

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-great-divide-northerners-are-worse-than-southerners-at-maths-so-where-does-your-area-rank/
- Published: 2026-11-01T14:49:51+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-01T15:12:16+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16256295/Northerners-worse-southerners-MATHS-area-rank.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, UK, World

## Key points

- Numeracy support needs are concentrated in northern England.
- Hull ranked lowest among English cities.
- Poor maths skills are estimated to cost £25 billion yearly.

## Summary

A report by National Numeracy found a sharp north-south divide in adults’ maths skills, with far more people in northern England living in areas judged to need substantial support. The findings have prompted calls for government action, as poor numeracy can limit people’s ability to manage everyday finances and work, and is estimated to cost the UK economy £25 billion a year.

The charity assessed 379 local authority districts across Great Britain. More than 10.6 million adults in the North, or 88 per cent, live in areas in the greatest-need category, compared with almost four million people, or 17 per cent, in the South. Hull ranked worst among English cities, followed by Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent, while around half of working-age adults are estimated to have the numeracy skills of an 11-year-old.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.