Economic contribution of the mathematical sciences in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales

Economic contribution of the mathematical sciences in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales Summary infographics September 2025 ©Academy for the Mathematical Sciences 2025 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. cbnd A copy of the licence may be viewed here. When using or quoting this work, credit must be attributed to the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences. In academic publications, the work may be cited as: Rajpaul, V. M. & Marr, C. (2025). Economic contribution of the mathematical sciences in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Academy for the Mathematical Sciences. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17118033. Any enquiries regarding this work should be sent to [email protected]. The Academy for the Mathematical Sciences (AcadMathSci) was established in 2022 to be the single, authoritative voice for the UK mathematical sciences community, spanning education, academia, and business, industry, and government. It was registered as a charity in 2023 and the first cohort of Fellows will be appointed in late 2025. The Academy engages actively with national policy and strategic priorities—responding to government consultations and reviews and contributing to debates on issues from curriculum reform to AI. We work across all four nations to influence policy and champion the role of the mathematical sciences. Through the Learned Societies Forum (LSF), we bring together the five learned societies in the mathematical sciences to collaborate on shared priorities and amplify our collective voice. Following ground-up, sector-by-sector and nation-by-nation analysis of the contribution of the mathematical sciences to the UK economy in 2024, we are delighted to publish: •Adetailed report presenting the methodology and results for the whole UK; •Adetailed report presenting the methodology and results for the nation-by-nation analyses; •Asummary infographic, presenting key findings for the whole UK; and •Four summary infographics, presenting key findings for each of the four nations (this document). AcadMathSci President, Professor Dame Alison Etheridge DBE FRS writes: “This ground-up analysis confirms what many of us have long known: the mathematical sciences are critical to the UK economy. In 2024, over five million people were working in mathematical science occupations, contributing £489 billion in direct economic value—nearly 20% of the UK’s entire Gross Value Added. These are well-paid, high-productivity roles, embedded in every part of our modern economy—from data science and financial services to education and engineering. “Behind these numbers lies a powerful story: when we invest in mathematical sciences—in education, research, and people—we build a more innovative, resilient, and prosperous future. The Academy is committed to ensuring that the mathematical sciences continue to thrive, not only as an engine of economic growth, but as a force for opportunity, understanding, and progress across society.” 840k MS jobs Professional, scientific & technical 530k MS jobs Finance & insurance 660k MS jobs Education 20% MS workers’ GVA by industry © Academy for the Mathematical Sciences | www.AcadMathSci.org.uk | Sept. 2025 across industries including... employed in mathematical science (MS) jobs (16% of all employment in 2024) 4.4 million workers Maths: the unseen engine powering England’s economy 27% higher productivity to England’s economy by MS workers: 20% of total gross value added (GVA) in 2024. £430 bn gross value added Growing the MS workforce by 1% could be worth £4 bn/yr to England. 51% higher salaries Notes: this analysis mirrors for England our recent analysis of the scale and economic impact of the mathematical sciences throughout the UK. We consider MS jobs to be those requiring higher-level mathematical tools or knowledge (e.g., calculus, statistical analysis) on a daily basis and/or specifying a formal mathematical science qualification (e.g. A-Level maths) as an entry requirement. Authors: Dr Vinesh Maguire Rajpaul (Policy Analyst, Academy for the Mathematical Sciences); Dr Christie Marr (Executive Director, Academy for the Mathematical Sciences). Maths—the universal language of science—has become increasingly critical to nearly every aspect of modern life, from healthcare and finance to smartphone technology and artificial intelligence. A new, ground-up analysis by the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences has revealed, in detail, just how extensively the mathematical sciences contributed to England’s economy in 2024. The infographic below summarises key results; a companion paper (available here ) presents our full analysis. 15% 22,000 MS jobs Professional, scientific & technical 15,000 MS jobs Manufacturing 17,000 MS jobs Education MS workers’ GVA by industry Notes: this analysis mirrors for Northern Ireland our recent analysis of the scale & economic impact of the mathematical sciences throughout the UK. We consider MS jobs to be those requiring higher-level mathematical tools or knowledge (e.g., calculus, statistical analysis) on a daily basis and/or specifying a formal mathematical science qualification (e.g. A-Level maths) as an entry requirement. Authors: Dr Vinesh Maguire Rajpaul (Policy Analyst, Academy for the Mathematical Sciences); Dr Christie Marr (Executive Director, Academy for the Mathematical Sciences). © Academy for the Mathematical Sciences | www.AcadMathSci.org.uk | Sept. 2025 across industries including... 45% higher salaries employed in mathematical science (MS) jobs (12% of all employment in 2024) 116k workers Maths: the unseen engine powering Northern Ireland’s economy Maths—the universal language of science—has become increasingly critical to nearly every aspect of modern life, from healthcare and finance to smartphone technology and artificial intelligence. A new, ground-up analysis by the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences has revealed, in detail, just how extensively the mathematical sciences contributed to Northern Ireland’s economy in 2024. The infographic below summarises key results; a companion paper (available here ) presents our full analysis. 26% higher productivity to Northern Ireland’s economy by MS workers: 15% of total gross value added (GVA) in 2024. £9 bn gross value added Growing the MS workforce by 1% could be worth £90 mn/yr to N. Ireland. 71,000 MS jobs Professional, scientific & technical 47,000 MS jobs Finance & insurance 67,000 MS jobs Education 19% MS workers’ GVA by industry Notes: this analysis mirrors for Scotland our recent analysis of the scale & economic impact of the mathematical sciences throughout the UK. We consider MS jobs to be those requiring higher-level mathematical tools or knowledge (e.g., calculus, statistical analysis) on a daily basis and/or specifying a formal mathematical science qualification (e.g., Advanced Higher Maths or equivalent) as an entry requirement. Authors: Dr Vinesh Maguire Rajpaul (Policy Analyst, Academy for the Mathematical Sciences); Dr Christie Marr (Executive Director, Academy for the Mathematical Sciences). © Academy for the Mathematical Sciences | www.AcadMathSci.org.uk | Sept. 2025 across industries including... 44% higher salaries employed in mathematical science (MS) jobs (15% of all employment in 2024) 394k workers Maths: the unseen engine powering Scotland’s economy 35% higher productivity to Scotland’s economy by MS workers: 19% of total gross value added (GVA) in 2024. £36 bn gross value added Growing the MS workforce by 1% could be worth £360 mn/yr to Scotland. Maths—the universal language of science—has become increasingly critical to nearly every aspect of modern life, from healthcare and finance to smartphone technology and artificial intelligence. A new, ground-up analysis by the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences has revealed, in detail, just how extensively the mathematical sciences contributed to Scotland’s economy in 2024. The infographic below summarises key results; a companion paper (available here ) presents our full analysis. 37,000 MS jobs Professional, scientific & technical 27,000 MS jobs Manufacturing 29,000 MS jobs Education 16% MS workers’ GVA by industry © Academy for the Mathematical Sciences | www.AcadMathSci.org.uk | Sept. 2025 across industries including... 50% higher salaries employed in mathematical science (MS) jobs (13% of all employment in 2024) 195k workers Maths: the unseen engine powering Wales’ economy Maths—the universal language of science—has become increasingly critical to nearly every aspect of modern life, from healthcare and finance to smartphone technology and artificial intelligence. A new, ground-up analysis by the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences has revealed, in detail, just how extensively the mathematical sciences contributed to Wales’ economy in 2024. The infographic below summarises key results; a companion paper (available here ) presents our full analysis. 30% higher productivity added to Wales’ economy by MS workers: 16% of total gross value added (GVA) in 2024. £14 bn gross value added Growing the MS workforce by 1% could be worth £140 mn/yr to Wales. Notes: this analysis mirrors for Wales our recent analysis of the scale & economic impact of the mathematical sciences throughout the UK. We consider MS jobs to be those requiring higher-level mathematical tools or knowledge (e.g., calculus, statistical analysis) on a daily basis and/or specifying a formal mathematical science qualification (e.g. A-Level maths) as an entry requirement. Authors: Dr Vinesh Maguire Rajpaul (Policy Analyst, Academy for the Mathematical Sciences); Dr Christie Marr (Executive Director, Academy for the Mathematical Sciences).