Men are twice as likely to start their own business as women.

Although the gender gap narrowed last year and British entrepreneurs fared well in the face of a global economic slump, the Government admitted there is "still much more to do."

Figures from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) found the difference in the number of men and women entrepreneurs in the UK remained stubbornly higher than the global average.

Meanwhile, the study, which questioned 20,000 entrepreneurs nationwide last year, revealed that Asian people in the UK were twice as likely to be involved in start-ups as their white counterparts.

Caribbean people in the UK were three times more likely and Africans five times more likely, while Caribbean women were the most entrepreneurial of all women.

The study revealed that only the US and Canada fared better than the UK in terms of entrepreneurial activity in the face of a slowing world economy.

Although the gender gap narrowed by 40 per cent last year, it was still found to be wider than the global average.