Pensions: A third of Irish workers had no pension cover in 2025 – CSO
The CSO data reveals that just one fifth of Irish people aged from 20 to 24 have any pension provision for their later years in life. Picture: iStock
One third of workers in the State had no pension cover last year, according to figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Pension coverage remained lowest among younger workers, with just one fifth of those aged 20-24 having any pension cover, the CSO found.
In that age group, women (22%) were more likely than men (17%) to have supplementary pension coverage.
By the end of 2025, two‑thirds of workers in the State had supplementary pension cover.
Pension coverage was highest among workers aged between 45 and 54.
Of the workers with no pension coverage, the State pension was cited as the expected main source of income on retirement for more than half (52%).
Just over a quarter (26%) had yet to decide how they would fund their retirement.
The figures published by the CSO show that, of workers with supplementary pension cover, seven in 10 have occupational pension cover from current or previous employments.
A further one in nine have a personal pension or PRSA, while one in five have both forms of pension.
Of those who had no supplementary pension cover last year, almost half (49%) stated they never got around to organising it or would organise it at a future date. This has increased from 43% in 2024.
Almost four in 10 (39%) said that they could not afford a pension, up from 30% of workers with no pension cover in 2024.
Analysis by age group shows that affordability was by far the main reason for people aged 55-69 not having any form of pension cover.
For younger workers, the main reason was they never got around to organising it or said they would set one up at a future date (69%).
The report highlights how almost half (48%) of the workers who had no pension coverage last year stated that their employer does not offer a pension scheme, according to Glenn Gaughran, Independent Trustee Company.
"Auto-enrolment is expected to go some way towards addressing this gap," he said.
"However, while it will broaden access, it’s important that workers understand that auto-enrolment may not be the most suitable retirement savings option for everyone.
"Individual circumstances vary significantly, and this should be carefully considered when planning for retirement."
Awareness of, and intent to take part in, the Government auto-enrolment retirement savings scheme increased in 2025, the CSO found.
Overall, some 42% of workers were aware of the Government scheme, up from 28% of workers in 2024. Of those eligible to be automatically enrolled, nearly half (45%) were aware of the retirement savings scheme, up from 29% of eligible workers in 2024.
A further 77% whose current employer does not offer pension cover said they would stay in the scheme if automatically enrolled in it.
The scheme, which began on January 1, is aimed at workers aged between 23 and 60 with no occupational pension cover from their current employer.
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