The statistics paint a worrying picture for numeracy in the UK. In a recent survey, the UK was ranked bottom of the OECD countries. It is estimated that as many as 17 million adults in England - around half the working-age population - have maths skills only equivalent to those of a primary school child.

Such innumeracy can impose large costs to individuals and society through lower skills, lost opportunities, income and productivity.  But a particular cost of poor numeracy is in financial decision-making. One in six adults struggle even to identify the balance on their bank statement, and nearly two million people in the UK still do not have a bank account.  In other words, it is a short hop from national innumeracy to financial illiteracy and financial exclusion.

When it comes to savings, pensions and mortgages, too many people struggle to make the right decisions when faced with seemingly complex choices.  Choices like ?How much should I save each month??  And in what form - bank account, ISA, pension, paying off the mortgage?

For the retail banking sector, this brings concerns: lower numeracy is associated with an increased likelihood of individuals failing to make debt repayments, and increases the risk of mistrust or mis-selling between customer and bank.

So what is to be done? Well National Numeracy is an independent charity, established just 5 years ago, to support numeracy in both adults and children.  It aims to enable everyone to have the confidence to use numbers and data to make good decisions in their daily life. National Numeracy has developed an online assessment to assess whether people have the so-called ?Essentials of Numeracy? and provide training where they do not.  So far over 100,000 people have registered, including in settings like the NHS.  Around three-quarters of those re-tested showed an improvement in their numeracy as a result.

Could retail banks use those same tools when working with their customers?

The answer is surely yes, and the benefits to both banks and customer would be great: better credit screening, lower risk of default, improved trust and, ultimately, better choices for both bank customer and bank manager.

Find out how National Numeracy could help you implement practical support here (www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/corporate-partners).