More than 3m pension pots, worth a total £18.7bn, remain 'lost', according to a Pensions Policy Institute study published today.
The pots are worth £6,220 each on average, the PPI’s Lost Pensions Survey 2026 reckons.
Most unclaimed pension pots (82%) belong to plan members aged under 55, according to the study, accounting for around 2.5m of all lost pots and £12.9bn of total lost assets.
Only an estimated 8,000 (0.26%) of all lost pots belong to those over the age of 75 but this age group has the highest proportion of lost pots per age cohort, with 13% of all pots linked to over 75 year-olds considered lost. That suggests that pots remaining uncrystallised after retirement age may be more likely to be genuinely lost, the PPI said.
The results also show women’s lost pension wealth is more than 20% lower on average than men's, with the mean lost pension pot size for men and women being £6,830 and £5,370 respectively.
Number of Lost Pensions
Age Group | Number of Lost Pensions (2026) |
Under 55 | 2,460,070 (81.88%) |
55 – 74 | 536,220 (17.84%) |
55 – 65 | 430,630 (14.33%) |
66 – 74 | 105,580 (3.51%) |
75 + | 8,080 (0.26%) |
All | 3,004,370 |
Note: Figures for 55-65 and 66-74 are subsets of the 55-74 total shown above, provided for additional granularity, rather than separate categories to be summed alongside it. | |
Percentage of pots considered lost
Age Group | Percentage of pots considered lost (2026) |
Under 55 | 6% |
55 – 74 | 5% |
55 – 65 | 5% |
66 – 74 | 7% |
75 + | 13% |
All | 5% |
Note: Figures for 55-65 and 66-74 are subsets of the 55-74 total shown above, provided for additional granularity, rather than separate categories to be summed alongside it. | |
Source: PPI Lost Pensions Survey 2026
Dr Suzy Morrissey, deputy director of the Pensions Policy Institute, said: “Lost pension pots remain a significant issue for savers, providers and policymakers.”
The survey was supported by the Money and Pensions Service.
Oliver Morley, CEO of MAPS said: "With around 2.5m lost pensions belonging to people aged under 55, there is a need to ensure no-one is missing savings for the retirement they want.”
• The 2026 Lost Pensions survey covered around 75% of the workplace DC market by pots.