One in ten women lie about the number of people they've slept with to their new partner, a new study has revealed.

The study found younger women are twice as likely to be economical with the truth when they meet a new bloke.

But the biggest fib told by women covers the amount of money they spend on clothes, with 26 per cent glossing over the cost of their shopping sprees.

20 per cent of lasses said they had lied about their weight, while six percent claim to be younger than they really are, the Sun reported.

But blokes can be even worse than the girls when it comes to telling porkies.

The research found that men lie 650 times a year, compared to just 537 fibs for women.

The most common lies for the fellas are excuses for being late, or pretending they'll be home earlier than they will be.

20 per cent of men admitted to lying about the amount of alcohol they drank.

One in five of us admit that we lie to save face, and a quarter say we lie because we feel "interrogated" by friends and family.

The study into why we lie was carried out to mark the DVD release of spy thriller 'Safe House,' which stars Denzel Washington.

"The research shows Brits lie an extraordinary amount, about a wide variety of things," a spokesman for the flick said.

"The main victims of our deception are those closest to us, with both men and women most likely to lie to their other half.

"We may like to think we're sparing them hurtful truths but most of the fibs are actually about saving face or trying to change the way people think about us," he added.