CSD report offers insights into how young people save in developing countries

Younger youth save more than older; parental involvement is key

A new project from the Center for Social Development (CSD) at Washington University in St. Louis shows, among other findings, that girls in developing countries, given equal opportunities, will save as much or more in formal financial institutions than boys.

The project was aimed at examining the attitudes and practices of young people in developing economies toward saving money. It has led to new findings that confirm and challenge assumptions about youth saving at formal financial institutions.

​Nepalese children learn about saving during the YouthSave project. (Credit: Save the Children)

The study was conducted by YouthSave, an international
development consortium led by Save the Children in partnership with the CSD, the New America Foundation, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor and The MasterCard Foundation, a founding partner of the
YouthSave consortium.

The study demonstrates that, under the right conditions, younger youth will save more than older youth and that parental involvement in supporting their children’s saving is an important factor in determining who saves money, how much and how often.

The report released this month, Youth Savings Patterns and Performance in Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, and Nepal, outlines findings from a study of the largest known dataset on how teens in developing countries save money. Under this project, more than 117,000 youth in the four countries opened savings accounts. Of these young people, almost 70,000 agreed to take part in the research study; about 48 percent of them were youth estimated to be living at or below $2.50 per day.

The data enabled CSD, YouthSave’s lead research partner, to detail who is saving and to identify factors linked with savings patterns. This information is critical for practitioners and policymakers who want to increase youth financial inclusion, those interested in innovative development strategies, and financial institutions seeking to expand into this market segment.

“The results afford us unparalleled visibility into the savings behaviors of young people, proving not only that youth will save when given the right opportunities, but also shedding light on how financial institutions can most effectively reach and encourage them to do so,” said Rani Deshpande, YouthSave project director.

The research indicated that to include more girls in the formal financial system, it may be better to enhance access to formal savings accounts than to increase savings amounts. The research also showed that in Ghana and Kenya having parents or guardians as bank account co-signers, rather than other adults such as teachers, generally led to higher savings amounts.

“CSD appreciates this unique research opportunity
through YouthSave to work with partners across these four countries to
gather data and report on one of the most comprehensive datasets on
youth’s savings patterns and performance in developing countries,” said
Li Zou, CSD’s director for YouthSave and the center’s international director.

Other key findings of the report include:

  • As measured by average monthly net savings, youth younger than 13 save more than older youth, in part because younger youth withdraw less than older youth. This highlights the importance of starting to save early in life.
  • Direct outreach from financial institutions to locations where youth congregate, such as schools and youth clubs, facilitates overall account uptake.
  • About 39 percent of youth were actively using their account during the last six months of the study. Deposit frequency is highest in Colombia, where monthly deposits are part of a programmed savings goal. That suggests the importance of focusing on ways to increase deposits. For example, youth receiving cash incentives in Nepal saved significantly more than other Nepalese account holders.
  • Financial institution policy influences the number of accounts opened. In Ghana and Kenya, flexibility in bank policy allowed “trusted adults” to be co-signatories on minors’ accounts. The result was non-relatives opening 56 percent of accounts for youth in Ghana and 47 percent of accounts for youth in Kenya.

“This YouthSave report is an important contribution to
the knowledge base about what drives young people in developing
economies to get and stay on a savings path that will serve them well
throughout their lives,” said Ann Miles, director of financial inclusion
at The MasterCard Foundation. “We’re looking forward to other reports
from YouthSave that will offer similar insight and help policymakers to
take the decisions that will benefit youth, their families, their
communities and their countries.”

“The financial institutions have made a strong commitment to youth financial inclusion, especially incorporating marginalized youth, and to the learning agenda,” said Lissa Johnson CSD administrative director, who led the savings demand assessment study with collaborating research partners in each country. “Our findings contribute knowledge about who saves, what enables access, and patterns associated with savings.”

Collaborating research partners are University of Los Andes in Colombia; Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis; New ERA in Nepal; and the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research at the University of Ghana.

The report is one of three to be published this year. The others will focus on results from the YouthSave experiment in Ghana and findings from an integrated case study.