UK pension statistics cover the state pension, private pension wealth, workplace auto-enrolment, and retirement income decisions. This page draws on accredited official statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Office for National Statistics (ONS), The Pensions Regulator (TPR), and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Updated June 2026.
The headline numbers
- The full new State Pension is £241.30 per week from April 2026, rising 4.7% under the triple lock (DWP, 2026/27).
- 13.2 million people received the State Pension at August 2025, up 240,000 in one year (DWP, 2025).
- 82% of UK employees were saving into a workplace pension in 2024, covering 23.3 million workers (ONS, ASHE 2024).
- Total annual workplace pension savings reached £149.7 billion in 2024 (DWP, 2025).
- 961,575 pension plans were accessed for the first time in 2024/25, with total withdrawal value hitting £70.9 billion (FCA, 2025).
Key facts
- The full basic (pre-2016) State Pension is £184.90 per week in 2026/27 (DWP, 2026/27).
- Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee: £238.00 per week (single) and £363.25 per week (couple) in 2026/27 (DWP, 2026/27).
- 1.4 million people claimed Pension Credit at August 2025; 66% of recipients were women (DWP, 2025).
- Private pension wealth made up 35% of aggregate household wealth in Great Britain in April 2020 to March 2022 (ONS, Wealth and Assets Survey, 2025).
- Only 20% of self-employed people contributed to a pension in 2018-2020, compared with 80% of employees (ONS, WAS 2022).
- State pension and state benefits accounted for 45% of gross mean pensioner income in financial year ending 2024 (DWP, Pensioners' Incomes 2025).
- 98% of pensioners received the State Pension in financial year ending 2024 (DWP, Pensioners' Incomes 2025).
Headline figures for 2026
From April 2026, the full new State Pension increased to £241.30 per week under the triple lock guarantee (DWP, 2026/27). The basic State Pension for those who reached State Pension age before April 2016 rose to £184.90 per week (DWP, 2026/27). The mean weekly State Pension payment stood at £210.73 at August 2025, up £8.78 year on year (DWP, 2025). Total workplace pension savings surpassed £149 billion in 2024 (DWP, 2025), while the FCA recorded £70.9 billion withdrawn from defined contribution pots in 2024/25 (FCA, 2025).
| Metric | Value (Source, Year) |
|---|---|
| Full new State Pension (weekly) | £241.30 (DWP, 2026/27) |
| Full basic State Pension - Category A (weekly) | £184.90 (DWP, 2026/27) |
| Pension Credit minimum guarantee - single (weekly) | £238.00 (DWP, 2026/27) |
| Total State Pension recipients (August 2025) | 13.2 million (DWP, 2025) |
| Mean weekly State Pension payment (August 2025) | £210.73 (DWP, 2025) |
| Total annual workplace pension savings (2024) | £149.7 billion (DWP, 2025) |
State pension: rates, recipients, and the triple lock
The new State Pension, introduced in April 2016, pays a flat-rate amount to those with sufficient National Insurance qualifying years. For 2025/26 the full rate was £230.25 per week (DWP, 2025/26), rising to £241.30 for 2026/27 (DWP, 2026/27). At August 2025, 5 million people received the new State Pension, up 740,000 on the previous year (DWP, 2025). A further 8.2 million received the pre-2016 basic or additional State Pension (DWP, 2025). The mean new State Pension payment was £216.46 per week for males and £214.51 for females at August 2025, a smaller gender gap than in the pre-2016 system where males averaged £225.04 and females £194.94 (DWP, 2025).
| Metric | Value (Source, Year) |
|---|---|
| Full new State Pension 2026/27 (weekly) | £241.30 (DWP, 2026/27) |
| Full basic State Pension 2026/27 (weekly) | £184.90 (DWP, 2026/27) |
| New State Pension recipients (August 2025) | 5.0 million (DWP, 2025) |
| Mean new State Pension - male (August 2025) | £216.46/week (DWP, 2025) |
| Mean new State Pension - female (August 2025) | £214.51/week (DWP, 2025) |
| Pension Credit claimants (August 2025) | 1.4 million (DWP, 2025) |
Private pension wealth
Private pension wealth was the second-largest component of total household wealth in Great Britain in April 2020 to March 2022, accounting for 35% of aggregate household wealth (ONS, WAS Round 8, January 2025). The top 10% of individuals held 64% of all private pension wealth, while the bottom five deciles held less than 1% (ONS, WAS 2022). The self-employed median pension wealth among those aged 55 and above was £16,100, compared with £91,400 for employees in the same age bracket (ONS, WAS 2022).
| Metric | Value (Source, Year) |
|---|---|
| Private pension share of total household wealth | 35% (ONS, WAS Round 8, 2025) |
| Share of pension wealth held by top 10% | 64% (ONS, WAS 2022) |
| Median pension wealth: employees aged 55+ (2018-2020) | £91,400 (ONS, WAS 2022) |
| Median pension wealth: self-employed aged 55+ (2018-2020) | £16,100 (ONS, WAS 2022) |
| Median pension wealth: those with long-standing disability | £13,000 (ONS, WAS 2022) |
| Median pension wealth: those without disability | £70,000 (ONS, WAS 2022) |
Auto-enrolment participation
Automatic enrolment began its phased rollout in October 2012. By May 2026, 2,734,305 employers had submitted declarations of compliance to The Pensions Regulator, covering 36.4 million workers in total (TPR, May 2026). In 2024, 82% of all UK employees were members of a workplace pension scheme, equivalent to 23.3 million workers (ONS, ASHE 2024). Total annual contributions reached £149.7 billion in 2024, with employers accounting for 62% of that sum (DWP, 2025). The earnings trigger for auto-enrolment in 2025/26 is £10,000 per year (DWP, 2025/26 AE Review).
| Metric | Value (Source, Year) |
|---|---|
| Employers declaring AE compliance (cumulative to May 2026) | 2,734,305 (TPR, 2026) |
| Workers covered by compliant employers | 36.4 million (TPR, 2026) |
| Workplace pension participation rate - all employees (2024) | 82% (ONS, ASHE 2024) |
| Total annual workplace pension savings (2024) | £149.7 billion (DWP, 2025) |
| Public sector participation - all employees (2024) | 90% (ONS, ASHE 2024) |
| AE earnings trigger 2025/26 | £10,000/year (DWP, 2025/26) |
Retirement income and drawdown
Since pension freedoms were introduced in April 2015, defined contribution savers have been able to access their pots flexibly. In 2024/25, 961,575 pension plans were accessed for the first time, an 8.6% increase from the year before (FCA, 2025). Drawdown products accounted for 349,992 of those accesses, while annuity sales reached 88,430 (FCA, 2025). The total value withdrawn from defined contribution pots was £70.9 billion, up 35.9% from £52.2 billion the previous year (FCA, 2025). In financial year ending 2024, state pension and benefits made up 45% of gross mean pensioner income, with occupational pensions providing 29% (DWP, Pensioners' Incomes 2025).
| Metric | Value (Source, Year) |
|---|---|
| Total pension plans accessed for first time (2024/25) | 961,575 (FCA, 2025) |
| Drawdown policy sales (2024/25) | 349,992 (FCA, 2025) |
| Annuity sales (2024/25) | 88,430 (FCA, 2025) |
| Total value withdrawn from DC pots (2024/25) | £70.9 billion (FCA, 2025) |
| State pension/benefits share of mean pensioner income (FYE 2024) | 45% (DWP, 2025) |
| Median gross weekly income - all pensioners (FYE 2024) | £407 (DWP, 2025) |
Trends over time
The full new State Pension rate has risen from £155.65 per week in 2016/17 to £241.30 in 2026/27 (DWP, Abstract of Benefit Rate Statistics 2025). The triple lock suspended the earnings element once, in 2022, using CPI inflation of 3.1% instead (DWP, Abstract of Benefit Rate Statistics 2025). Auto-enrolment participation among eligible employees grew from around 55% in 2012 to 89% by 2024 (DWP, 2025).
| Tax Year | Full New State Pension (weekly) | Triple Lock Uplift | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | £185.15 | 3.1% (CPI - earnings suspended) | DWP, 2022 |
| 2023/24 | £203.85 | 10.1% (CPI) | DWP, 2023 |
| 2024/25 | £221.20 | 8.5% (earnings) | DWP, 2024 |
| 2025/26 | £230.25 | 4.1% (earnings) | DWP, 2025 |
| 2026/27 | £241.30 | 4.7% (earnings) | DWP, 2026 |
Regional breakdown
DWP does not publish a full regional breakdown of State Pension caseloads at local authority level in its main statistical summaries; granular data is available via the DWP Stat-Xplore tool. The ONS Wealth and Assets Survey provides a partial regional picture of pension wealth as a share of total household wealth, covering April 2020 to March 2022 (ONS, WAS Round 8, January 2025). Private pension wealth formed a larger share of total wealth in areas where housing values are relatively lower.
| Region / Nation | Private Pension Wealth as Share of Total Household Wealth | Source and Period |
|---|---|---|
| London | 28% | ONS, WAS Round 8 (April 2020 to March 2022) |
| North East | 42% | ONS, WAS Round 8 (April 2020 to March 2022) |
| Scotland | 42% | ONS, WAS Round 8 (April 2020 to March 2022) |
| Great Britain (all) | 35% | ONS, WAS Round 8 (April 2020 to March 2022) |
Note: full regional participation rate tables for workplace pensions are published in the ASHE pension tables dataset (ONS, ASHE 2024). [SOURCE NEEDED for additional regional state pension caseload breakdowns without Stat-Xplore access.]
The statistics on this page are drawn directly from named UK government and regulatory publications: DWP benefit and pension rate documents, DWP benefits statistics bulletins, DWP Pensioners' Incomes series, ONS Wealth and Assets Survey, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, The Pensions Regulator declaration of compliance reports, and FCA retirement income market data. Each figure is cited with its source and the year of publication or reference period. Pension rates change each April; readers should verify the current rates at gov.uk. This page contains factual information only and does not constitute financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the full new State Pension amount in 2026?
The full new State Pension is £241.30 per week from April 2026, following a 4.7% increase under the triple lock guarantee (DWP, 2026/27). This applies to those who reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016 with sufficient National Insurance qualifying years (DWP, 2026/27).
How many people receive the State Pension in the UK?
13.2 million people received the State Pension at August 2025, an increase of 240,000 compared with August 2024 (DWP, 2025). Of those, 5 million received the new State Pension introduced in 2016, with the remainder on the pre-2016 system (DWP, 2025).
What proportion of UK employees are saving into a workplace pension?
82% of UK employees were members of a workplace pension scheme in 2024, equivalent to 23.3 million workers (ONS, ASHE 2024). The rate in the public sector is 90%, while private sector rates are 81% for male employees and 76% for female employees (ONS, ASHE 2024).
How much is withdrawn from pension pots each year?
£70.9 billion was withdrawn from defined contribution pension pots in 2024/25, a 35.9% increase from £52.2 billion in 2023/24 (FCA, 2025). Drawdown policies accounted for 349,992 plan accesses in the same period (FCA, 2025).
What is the Pension Credit rate in 2026?
The Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee is £238.00 per week for a single person and £363.25 per week for a couple from April 2026 (DWP, 2026/27). At August 2025, 1.4 million people claimed Pension Credit, of whom 66% were women (DWP, 2025).
What is the triple lock and how has it affected State Pension rates?
The triple lock uprates the State Pension annually by the highest of average earnings growth, CPI inflation, or 2.5% (DWP, Abstract of Benefit Rate Statistics 2025). Between 2020 and 2026, the new State Pension rose from £175.20 per week to £241.30 per week (DWP, Abstract of Benefit Rate Statistics 2025). The earnings element was suspended once, in April 2022, when CPI of 3.1% was used instead (DWP, Abstract of Benefit Rate Statistics 2025).
Sources
- DWP: Benefit and Pension Rates 2026 to 2027 (gov.uk)
- DWP: Benefit and Pension Rates 2025 to 2026 (gov.uk)
- DWP: Benefits Statistics August 2025 (gov.uk)
- DWP: Pensioners' Incomes, financial years ending 1995 to 2024 (gov.uk)
- DWP: Abstract of Benefit Rate Statistics 2025 (gov.uk)
- DWP: Workplace Pension Participation and Savings Trends 2009 to 2024 (gov.uk)
- DWP: Auto-Enrolment Earnings Trigger Review 2025/26 (gov.uk)
- ONS: Household Total Wealth in Great Britain, April 2020 to March 2022 - WAS Round 8 (ons.gov.uk)
- ONS: Saving for Retirement in Great Britain, April 2018 to March 2020 - WAS (ons.gov.uk)
- ONS: Employee Workplace Pensions in the UK 2024 - ASHE (ons.gov.uk)
- The Pensions Regulator: Automatic Enrolment Declaration of Compliance Report (thepensionsregulator.gov.uk)
- FCA: Retirement Income Market Data 2024/25 (fca.org.uk)