The majority of people in these five British regions have less than £100 in savings
There's been much talk of a debt-fuelled recovery in recent years – but now worrying research suggests people in five parts of the country are taking that to heart.
Research by the Money Advice Service (Mas) suggests 44 per cent of people in the UK are "non-savers", with less than £100 in the bank.
That means one emergency – from their car packing in to another financial crisis – could tip 16.8m people into debt.
This chart, compiled for City PM by http://www.statista.comStatista, shows in Northern Ireland, West Midlands, Yorkshire, the North East and Wales, the majority of people have less than £100 in the bank.
Read more: We must save Britain's failing savings culture before it's too late
The report showed 45 per cent of those with poor savings have a household income of above £30,000, so aren't technically classed as "low income" – so there's technically no reason they shouldn't have saved anything, according to Mas.
On the other hand, 23 per cent of those living in households earning less than £13,500 have saved more than £1,000 – so clearly, some are more prudent than others.
In April a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) suggested the household saving ratio, the percentage of personal savings to disposable income, will fall to its lowest level in 50 years in 2016.
Meanwhile, research published by Scottish Widows showed people in their 30s and 40s are particularly bad at saving, with 37 per cent admitting to having saved nothing over the past year – compared with more than a third of 18 to 34 year-olds, who said they were actively trying to stash some cash.
"[There is] a clear generational gulf in savings attitudes and behaviour. After expenditure, baby-boomers on average have more income left over to save,” said David Whitaker, Cebr's managing economist.
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