If you are a pension saver living in the North East, the bad news is your retirement pot is probably just half that of someone in London or the South East.
A new survey looking at the pension savings of more than 5,000 savers has revealed that how much you can save really depends on where you live.
Savers in the North East accumulated an average pension fund of £14,513, while those in London had £24,503, while those living in the South East had even more – an average £28,183.
The analysis by fintech firm PensionBeeputs the average UK pension pot at £21,441.
Broken down across countries, the average for England is £21,730. Scotland hits £21,482, while Wales languishes on £15,473. In Northern Ireland, the average is £14,796.
Avid savers
Although Wales falls short of England and Scotland, PensionBee suggests the gap may close as the Welsh are the UK’s most avid savers.
The figures suggest that a big pension pot won’t necessarily give you the same standard of life in retirement though, as reflected by PensionBee’s replacement ratio research.
Despite a potential pot of £135,200, Londoners are set to live on 22% of their pre-retirement income – the lowest overall percentage in the analysis – and this includes the state pension.
Romi Savova, CEO of PensionBee said: “The data clearly shows that the most important part of a pension is how much you put in. The government has made it attractive to save and as an industry we need to do the same, by improving customer service and embracing technology. We’re passionate about taking the lead on this and closing the pension gap across the country.”
Average pension savings by region
Region | Average pension (£) |
England | £21,730 |
East Midlands | £15,531 |
Greater London | £24,503 |
North East | £14,513 |
North West | £15,509 |
South East | £28,183 |
South West | £16,356 |
West Midlands | £19,203 |
Northern Ireland | £14,796 |
Scotland | £21,482 |
Wales | £15,473 |
United Kingdom | £21,441 |
Source: PensionBee
Expected pension pot sizes
Region | Pension pot at age 65 (£) |
England | £117,300 |
East Midlands | £64,600 |
Greater London | £135,200 |
North East | £102,500 |
North West | £71,800 |
South East | £149,900 |
South West | £77,800 |
West Midlands | £112,700 |
Northern Ireland | £144,100 |
Scotland | £111,900 |
Wales | £122,800 |
United Kingdom | £118,200 |
Source: PensionBee