![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/woman-on-laptop.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBritain ranks among the ten least financially disciplined countries in the world despite being one of the largest global economies, according to new international research.<\/p>\n
Analysis by investment platform BrokerChooser found the UK performs poorly on key measures of saving and investing when compared with other developed nations.<\/p>\n
Britons save just 4.74 per cent of household income on average, placing the country near the bottom of the global rankings.<\/p>\n
Only 4.48 per cent of household financial assets in the UK are held in investment funds, the research found.<\/p>\n
BrokerChooser said the findings are particularly striking given the relative wealth of British households.<\/p>\n
UK households hold average financial assets worth $140,974 (est \u00a3105,731), the highest level among all countries in the bottom ten for financial discipline.<\/p>\n
The research suggests much of this wealth is held in cash, property or low-yield savings products rather than being invested for long-term growth.<\/p>\n
Separate data from savings provider Scottish Friendly highlights the extent of Britain\u2019s reliance on cash.<\/p>\n
Its research shows 42 per cent of UK adults hold all their wealth in cash.<\/p>\n
A further 15 per cent keep most of their wealth in cash, with little exposure to investments.<\/p>\n
Britain ranks among ten least financially disciplined nations despite being major global economy<\/p>\n
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GETTY<\/p>\n
Despite this, nearly three-quarters of respondents said they understand that holding large amounts of cash over the long term could leave them financially worse off.<\/p>\n
Scottish Friendly said the most common reason for holding cash is the desire for quick access to money.<\/p>\n
Leading the way, 39 per cent of respondents cited easy access as their main motivation.<\/p>\n
Fear of potential losses was cited by 38 per cent, while 34 per cent said a lack of trust in financial markets influenced their decision.<\/p>\n
Kevin Brown, savings specialist at Scottish Friendly, said many savers struggle to move beyond cash even when they understand the risks.<\/p>\n
“People in the main understand the risks of keeping their savings in cash over the long term but they nonetheless cannot make the leap to invest.”<\/p>\n
![\"Martin](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/martin-lewis.jpg\")
Martin Lewis has been among the leading voices trying to get personal finance management and literacy skills taught in the British curriculum <\/p>\n
| gbnews<\/p>\n
He added: “The result is they are making themselves poorer.”<\/p>\n
The research also reveals significant differences between generations.<\/p>\n
Baby Boomers are the most cautious group, with 56 per cent holding all their wealth in cash.<\/p>\n
Among Generation X, the figure falls to 44 per cent.<\/p>\n
For Millennials, 25 per cent keep all their wealth in cash, while the figure drops to 21 per cent for Generation Z.<\/p>\n
Levels of trust in financial markets also vary by age group.<\/p>\n
Four in ten Baby Boomers said they do not trust the stock market.<\/p>\n
By contrast, fewer than a quarter of Generation Z respondents expressed the same level of distrust.<\/p>\n
The data also highlights a gender gap in attitudes towards investing.<\/p>\n
Women are more likely to cite fear of losses as a barrier to investing, with 44 per cent raising this concern compared with 33 per cent of men.<\/p>\n
Men are slightly more likely to say they distrust financial markets, at 35 per cent compared with 33 per cent of women.<\/p>\n
Scottish Friendly said Millennials are the most likely group to combine investing with holding cash.<\/p>\n
Many in this age group invest some money while keeping the majority of their savings in cash.<\/p>\n
BrokerChooser said a range of factors help explain Britain\u2019s low saving and investing rates.<\/p>\n
Rising living costs, particularly for housing, energy and childcare, have reduced the amount many households feel able to set aside.<\/p>\n
The firm said that even households with relatively strong incomes often report little disposable income left at the end of each month.<\/p>\n
A lack of confidence around investing was also identified as a major factor.<\/p>\n
BrokerChooser said many people still view investing as complex or risky, with previous market downturns shaping attitudes.<\/p>\n
Limited financial education beyond workplace pensions was also highlighted as a contributing issue.<\/p>\n
Adam Nasli, head broker analyst at BrokerChooser, said improving financial habits does not require dramatic changes.<\/p>\n
He said building consistent habits such as setting clear goals, automating savings and diversifying investments can improve outcomes over time.<\/p>\n
The contrast with higher-performing countries is marked.<\/p>\n
Swiss households save an average of 17.48 per cent of their income, according to BrokerChooser.<\/p>\n
![\"Savers](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/savers-hit-by-budget.jpg\")
Changes in the ISA allowances were designed to push people into investing<\/p>\n
| GETTY<\/p>\n
Countries such as Sweden, Germany and Canada combine higher saving rates with more active participation in investment markets.<\/p>\n
Long-term performance data further highlights the impact of different approaches.<\/p>\n
According to Moneyfacts, Cash ISAs have delivered an average annual return of 1.79 per cent since 2010.<\/p>\n
Over the same period, Stocks and Shares ISAs returned an average of 6.79 per cent per year.<\/p>\n
Inflation averaged 2.92 per cent over that timeframe, meaning cash savings lost value in real terms.<\/p>\n
The research suggests Britain\u2019s challenge is not a lack of household wealth, but how that wealth is managed and deployed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Britain ranks among the ten least financially disciplined countries in the world despite being one of the largest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":635032,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3090],"tags":[51,1700,1232,3028,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-635031","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-economy","10":"tag-money","11":"tag-savings","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115726555839627768","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/635032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}