The average UK pension pot stands at £21,875 in 2025, up 9% from 2024 and ahead of inflation, according to research by consumer retirement market organisation PensionBee.
Its annual Pension landscape for 2025 report, which analysed responses from more than 285,000 PensionBee customers during June, also found women’s average pots grew by nearly 11% to £16,169, while men’s increased by over 9% to £25,652. This growth difference resulted in the gender pensions gap narrowing from 38% to 37%.
Among those aged under 30, average pots grew by almost 5% to £3,745, while the gender gap narrowed from 18% to 13%. In the 30-39 age group, average pots rose 5% to £10,660, with the gender pensions gap falling to 20%.
The 40-49 age group saw a just under 2% uplift to £23,312, with the gender pensions gap dropping by 1% to 24%. Meanwhile, those aged over-50 saw growth of almost 8% to £42,578, however, their gender pensions gap remained at 44%.
While projected retirement pots for those in their 30s and 40s rose by £11,535 and £6,327 respectively to £178,439 and £130,140, projected pots for those aged under 30 fell by £13,893 to £181,165.
London and the South East have average pots of £25,838 and £27,727 respectively. The North West had an average pot of £17,082, while Northern Ireland had £15,118. London had a narrower gender pensions gap than the UK average at 29%, while the South East had 38%, and in Wales and Northern Ireland this stood at 43%.
Lisa Picardo, chief business officer UK at PensionBee, said: “It’s encouraging to see both pot growth and a slight narrowing of the gender gap. But progress remains frustratingly slow and the regional disparities are stark. London savers have pots 70% larger than those in Northern Ireland, for example, which reflects broader economic inequalities that follow people into retirement.
“Even more concerning is that under-30s are seeing their projected retirement pots shrink due to falling incomes. This is a worrying warning sign for future generations who may end up heavily reliant on the state pension. Lowering the auto-enrolment age threshold would be a simple yet powerful solution. We cannot allow today’s contribution gaps to become tomorrow’s retirement poverty.”
