Welsh savers grew their average pension pots by nearly 11% from 2024 to 2025 but still trailed the UK-wide average.
PensionBee, a leader in the consumer retirement market, has released its annual Pension Landscape for 2025. Based on analysis of more than 285,000 PensionBee customers as at June 2025, it reveals the substantial differences in average pension pot sizes, depending on a saver’s age, gender and location.
Overall, Welsh savers grew their average pension pots by nearly 11% from 2024 to £17,435 in 2025, comfortably ahead of inflation, but still trailing the UK-wide average of £21,875 (up 9% on 2024). Welsh women’s pots climbed over 10% to £11,836 (compared to nearly 11% growth and an average pot of £16,169 in the UK as a whole), while men’s grew well over 11% to £20,826 (compared to 9.3% to £25,652). This left the gender savings gap unchanged at 43%, well above the UK average of 37%.
Welsh under-30s saw average pension pots grow faster than the UK average, rising 7% to £3,062, trailing the UK-wide average of £3,780 (up just shy of 5% on 2024). The gender gap in Wales stood at 18% for this age group, compared to the UK average of 13%.
For 30–39 year olds, Welsh savers saw an 8% rise to £8,503, as compared to the UK average of £10,660 (a 5% rise on 2024). The gender gap widened dramatically to 30%, significantly worse than the UK average of 20% for this age group.
40–49 year olds in Wales experienced almost no growth, with average pots staying level at £17,013 as compared to £17,019 in 2024. Whilst total pot size lagged behind the UK average, which sits at £24,048, UK average growth was shy of 2%. More positively, the gender gap remained substantial at 26%, but closer to the UK average of 24% for this age group.
The over-50s in Wales saw their average pension pot grow by a healthy 10% to £37,906, ahead of the almost 8% growth seen in the UK average, which rose to £42,578. Despite this relative outperformance, the gender gap among older Welsh savers reached an alarming 50%, significantly worse than the UK average of 44%.
Lisa Picardo, Chief Business Officer UK at PensionBee, said:
“The Welsh pension landscape presents a mixed picture. While our youngest savers are making progress and our over-50s are growing their pots, there is stagnation among middle-aged cohorts. Even more troubling are the persistent gender pension gaps across all age groups in Wales.
“The 50% gender gap among Welsh over-50s is an example of decades of unequal saving patterns. For younger Welsh savers, we're seeing early warning signs that without intervention, these disparities will only worsen.
“Closing this gap demands systemic change, not just individual action. Employers must champion gender-inclusive parental leave that normalises shared childcare responsibilities. The government must deliver accessible, funded childcare so returning to work doesn't penalise earnings. And lowering the Auto-Enrolment age threshold would be a simple yet powerful step towards fairer retirement outcomes – the magic of compound growth makes those early contributions incredibly valuable.
“These changes will rebalance career breaks between partners, creating equal earning potential and retirement security for women. We cannot allow today's contribution gaps to become tomorrow's retirement poverty.”
