Women on low incomes in Britain are nearly half as likely to save money as women in Ghana, new figures show.

According to research from Barclays, Care International UK and Plan UK released ahead of International Women's Day this week, 94% of women in Ghana - where double as many people live below the poverty line as in the UK - save cash compared to 55% of Brits.

The survey also showed a third of British women consider themselves ambitious, compared to 79% in Ghana, and more than half of women in both countries saying they lack the ability to save.

For Zoe, a 20-year-old single mum from Cardiff studying psychology, a lack “sense” about money stopped her saving.

"I know that I'm not that good with money, but I just don''t know where to start. Sometimes I really do struggle at the end of a month." And Yvonne, a 42-year-old mother-of-two, said she was "diabolical" with money until her hours at work got cut, forcing her to get a grip on her finances.

Catharine French, Barclays Retail and Business Banking Director of Corporate Affairs, told The Huffington Post UK the figures demonstrated women can save money “even if they are on low incomes”.

“Of course women in the UK have been feeling the pinch, but what this survey shows is that with the right know-how people can save money even if they are on low incomes.

“What we need to do is make sure that women in the UK are aware of just how important saving is. Saving a little and often can give increased security and choice to women’s lives whether they live in Ghana or the UK.”

She added: “The survey shows that we have a lot to learn from these women about attitudes to saving even though women’s circumstances in the UK are different.”

The figures come as a separate survey showed families are lending £12,846 on average to their children or grandchildren, a figure that has increased by 31% over last five years.

123 women in the UK and 106 women in Ghana between the ages of 18 and 34 were interviewed between 9 December 2011 and 6 January 2012