Workplace pensions

Pensions linked to a person's workplace, including defined ambition (DA), defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) schemes.

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Around 8 in 10 workers (82%) were members of workplace pension schemes in 2024; the trend in participation has stabilised in recent years following steady growth between 2012 and 2019 after the introduction of automatic enrolment, a policy introduced by the government to help more people save for retirement.
In 2024, for employees who were in a workplace pension scheme, around 3 in 10 (34%) were members of defined benefit schemes, 4 in 10 (40%) were members of defined contribution schemes (which includes pensions in the National Employment Savings Trust), and 1 in 4 (25%) were in a group scheme.
In the private sector, a gender gap remained in 2024 with 76% of female employees having a workplace pension, compared with 81% of male employees; in the public sector, 90% of male employees and 90% of female employees had a workplace pension.

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Between April 2018 and March 2020, more people below State Pension age (57%) were actively saving for retirement using private pensions than before automatic enrolment was introduced in 2012 (43%); however, there was still much inequality in pensions wealth in Great Britain.
Among working-aged people yet to retire, those who were self-employed (compared with employees), had a long-standing illness or disability (compared with no disability), or were from minority ethnic groups, had lower pension wealth on average than their counterparts because of lower participation rates and smaller pension pots.
Almost a third of people did not expect to have any pension provision beyond the State Pension when they retired.

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The introduction of automatic enrolment in 2012 has led to a surge in defined contribution pensions, ONS data has shown.

Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings: summary of pension results

Membership and contributions to workplace pension arrangements for UK employees.
Pension type by age group and gross weekly earnings bands: Table P1

Membership of workplace pension arrangements for UK employees by pension type, age and weekly pay.
Pension type by industry and gross weekly earnings bands: Table P2

Membership of workplace pension arrangements for UK employees by pension type, weekly pay and Standard Industrial Classification (including public and private sector breakdown).
Pension type by occupation and gross weekly earnings bands: Table P3

Membership of workplace pension arrangements for UK employees by pension type, weekly pay and Standard Occupational Classification.
Pension type by size of business and gross weekly earnings bands: Table P4

Membership of workplace pension arrangements for UK employees by pension type, weekly pay and size of company.
Employee contribution bands by age group and pension type: Table P5

Annual estimates of the proportion of UK employees in employee contribution bands, by age group and pension type.

Employee workplace pensions in the UK: 2024 provisional and 2021 to 2023 final results

Membership and contributions to workplace pension arrangements for UK employees. Compiled from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
Saving for retirement in Great Britain: April 2018 to March 2020

Private pension wealth in Great Britain, April 2018 to March 2020, taken from the seventh round of the Wealth and Assets Survey.
Occupational Pension Schemes Survey, UK: 2018

The nature of occupational pension provision in the UK providing summary data from the Occupational Pension Schemes Survey on membership of schemes and contributions paid.
MQ5: Investment by insurance companies, pension funds and trusts: October to December 2018

Investment choices of financial institutions based on financial transactions (investments and disinvestments), including balance sheet data for short-term assets and liabilities, and income and expenditure data.

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Contracting out of Private Sector Defined Benefit Pension Schemes

The latest information on membership and contributions, by contracted out status, is presented for private sector defined benefit occupational schemes. The story focuses on 2013, but also provides active membership details for 2008 to 2013 inclusive.
Pension Trends

Contributions to private (non-state) pensions. Private pensions considered are: occupational schemes for private sector and public sector employees; and personal pensions, including group personal and stakeholder pensions.

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