Over £50bn in pension savings are at risk of being misplaced in abandoned accounts or scattered across multiple lost pots, PensionBee has found.

In analysis conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), on behalf of PensionBee, it is estimated that at least 4.8 million pension pots were considered to be ‘lost’ among the UK population in 2023, with nearly one in 10 workers believing they could have lost a pension pot worth more than £10,000.

The online pension provider said that as the total number of UK pension pots is expected to rise 130%, from 106 million to 243 million by 2050, the number of lost pensions could skyrocket.

This is due to more frequent job switching among younger workers and as a result of the ongoing impact of auto-enrolment, which has increased workplace participation since its introduction in 2012.

Director of public affairs at PensionBee, Becky O’Connor, said: "The amount of money lost track of in old pensions is already eye-watering, with more than £50bn already at risk of being left behind, but is set to reach national crisis levels over the coming years, as the number of pots accumulated through work rises and with it, the number of lost pensions.

"This research suggests the problem of lost pots is growing more urgent every year. The Government is working on a number of solutions to help solve it, including pension dashboards and new ‘pot for life’ proposals.

"For anyone who loses track of pensions, the result can, unfortunately, be a poorer retirement. It’s important to keep track of old paperwork, employer and pension provider names and policy numbers and if you would prefer to keep pensions together, consider consolidating them in one place."

In a survey of 2,000 UK adults, younger workers (under 35) have accrued a higher average number of pensions (2.4) than mid-career workers (35 to 54 years old, 2.1) and older works (55+ years old, 1.7), despite a shorter career history.

Furthermore, the youngest workers, aged 18, are forecast to accrue, on average, five pension pots by the age of 68. However, it is known for some people to accumulate more than 20 separate pensions over a working lifetime.

Younger workers were more likely to believe they had lost a pension pot (25%) compared to mid-career works (17%) and older workers (8%) who, on average, had fewer pots to manage.

The research also revealed that smaller pots, defined as being worth less than £10,000, are more prone (13% of UK workers) to be misplaced compared to larger ones.

Head of economic insight at CEBR, Christopher Breen, added: "Younger people are moving jobs more frequently than was the case for previous generations. While people tend to switch employers less frequently as they get older, this will still lead to a higher number of pensions being accrued. This is before accounting for the role of auto-enrolment.

"Given this trend, it’s important that the government provides the necessary support and guidance for people to manage their pensions efficiently. With a rapidly ageing population, a healthy private pension system is vital for the long-term sustainability of public finances."

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