(October 27, 2025) Research and data have shown that poor numeracy skills can have detrimental effects across society, states The Richmond Project website, highlighting some sobering statistics. Over half of working-age adults in the UK, which is about 54 percent struggle with low numeracy skills. Workers who find numbers challenging earn an average of £1,600 less each year, while poor numeracy costs the UK economy up to £25 billion annually. Most alarming of all, more than eight million adults possess math skills below those expected of a nine-year-old.
It was against this backdrop that Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty launched The Richmond Project, a UK-wide charity dedicated to breaking down barriers around numeracy and helping people of all ages build confidence with numbers. Their shared belief is that by strengthening numerical confidence in everyday life; from play to professions, from shopping trips to managing mortgages, everyone can lead more fulfilling lives. And when individuals thrive, communities prosper, creating a stronger and more connected society.
Turning numbers into confidence
The Richmond Project was founded on the conviction that no one, regardless of age or background, should feel left out when it comes to numbers. It seeks to inspire a cultural shift so that people think, feel, and talk about number skills the same way they do about reading. The charity’s mission challenges the notion of being or not being “a numbers person,” instead promoting the idea that everyone can develop comfort and confidence with numeracy.
For Rishi and Akshata, this initiative is a natural extension of their lifelong commitment to education. Both have witnessed how learning can transform lives of their own and those of their families, and they believe education remains the key to unlocking opportunity and equality. During their time in Downing Street, they brought that belief into action in their own ways. As Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak focused on reforming the education system to ensure young people gained the skills needed for a rapidly changing world. Akshata Murty, in parallel, introduced the Lessons at 10 initiative, inviting children into Downing Street to learn about leadership, civic engagement, and curiosity at the heart of public life.
Three pillars of change
Now, through The Richmond Project, they are turning that same energy and passion toward numeracy which is an often-overlooked area of learning. The charity’s work unfolds across three broad fronts. Its research aims to better understand the barriers that hold people back from engaging confidently with numbers, providing insights to shape effective solutions. Its programmes support innovative organisations whose bold ideas can drive large-scale change in how numeracy is taught and discussed. And through partnerships with communities, schools, and employers, it seeks to make number confidence a shared national endeavour.
Beyond data and policy, however, lies the heart of The Richmond Project’s vision of empowerment. When people stop fearing numbers, they begin to see them as tools for navigating life, helping them manage finances, make informed choices, and engage more meaningfully with the world around them. This shift from anxiety to assurance can ripple outward, building stronger communities and a more resilient economy.
Education as a lifelong mission
For Sunak and Murty, The Richmond Project represents both a personal and national commitment based on the belief that education does not end at school and that confidence in numbers can open doors just as widely as literacy does. Their hope is to spark a cultural transformation where everyone, from children learning to count to adults managing their budgets, feels capable and confident with numbers.
In their hands, numeracy becomes more than mathematics. It becomes a language of opportunity, empowerment, and inclusion. Through The Richmond Project, Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty are helping Britain become a society where confidence multiplies, barriers divide no more, and every individual counts.
