Where in the UK do pensioners rely most on state support?

For millions of people in the UK, the State Pension forms an important part of their income in retirement. But how much pensioners rely on income from the state varies considerably depending on where they live.

We analysed the latest Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) pensioner income data to see how retirement income differs across the UK, including how much comes from state benefits – consisting of State Pension plus Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Attendance Allowance, Winter Fuel Payment and other benefits – and how much comes from other sources such as workplace and personal pensions, investments and earnings.

There are some significant regional differences. Among single pensioners, 66.8% of average gross income in Northern Ireland comes from state benefits, compared with just over half in London and the South East.

The difference is even greater when looking at pensioner couples. In the North East, state benefits account for 47.0% of average gross income, compared with 29.7% in London.

These regional differences are particularly relevant as the State Pension Age increases. Although people in the UK are expected to live longer in the future, increases to the State Pension Age mean this won’t necessarily translate into significantly more years receiving the State Pension.

Where do single pensioners rely most on state support?

Single pensioners tend to receive a greater proportion of their income from state benefits than pensioner couples, but the level of reliance varies considerably around the UK.

Northern Ireland has the highest proportion, with £310 of the average single pensioner’s £464 weekly gross income coming from benefits.

That works out at 66.8% of average gross income, with the remaining 33.2% coming from sources including occupational and personal pensions, investments, earnings and other income.

Across the UK as a whole, state benefits account for an average 58.3% of single pensioners’ gross income.

There is a noticeable regional pattern. In Northern Ireland and five English regions – the North East, North West, West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber and East Midlands – more than 60% of average income comes from state benefits.

In London and the South East, that falls to 52.2%.

The difference between Northern Ireland and the South East is around 14.6 percentage points.

Overall incomes vary too. Single pensioners in London have an average gross income of £557 per week, while the North West has the lowest average at £460 per week. That’s a difference of £97 each week, equivalent to more than £5,000 over a year.

Where do pensioner couples rely most on state support?

The picture changes slightly for pensioner couples.

The North East has the highest proportion of income coming from state benefits, at 47.0%, followed closely by Northern Ireland at 46.9%.

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The difference between the North East and London helps show how other sources of retirement income affect dependence on the state.

Pensioner couples in the North East receive an average £412 per week in state benefits, compared with £371 in London.

However, their total incomes are very different. Average gross income for pensioner couples is £877 per week in the North East and £1,248 in London.

This means benefits account for almost half of average pensioner couple income in the North East, compared with less than three in every ten pounds in London – a difference of 17.3 percentage points.

The difference in total income is also substantial. Pensioner couples in London receive an average £371 more each week than those in the North East, equivalent to more than £19,000 over a year.

How does retirement income differ for single pensioners and couples?

Relationship status is also associated with an important difference in where retirement income comes from.

Across the UK, benefits account for approximately 58% of a single pensioner’s average gross income, compared with around 40% for pensioner couples.

The DWP’s UK-wide income breakdown provides more detail.

A single pensioner’s average weekly gross income is £510, made up of approximately:

• £296 from benefits – 58%

• £122 from occupational pensions – 24%

• £40 from investments – 8%

• £37 from earnings – 7%

• £12 from personal pensions – 2%

• £3 from other income – 1%

Pensioner couples have considerably more income from other sources.

Their average weekly gross income is £972, of which £393, or around 40%, comes from benefits.

Occupational pensions contribute £286 per week, or 29%, while earnings provide another £161, equivalent to 17%. Investment income contributes £92 per week and personal pensions another £32.

So, as well as having a lower average weekly income, single pensioners receive a larger proportion of that income from state support.

How does retirement income differ between men and women?

The gender gap in the State Pension itself has narrowed considerably, but looking at wider retirement finances shows that important differences between men and women remain.

Among people newly receiving the State Pension, women received an average of around £208.15 per week compared with £209.95 for men, according to DWP figures reported in 2025. That’s a difference of just £1.80 per week.

This represents a substantial change from previous years. In February 2018, the average State Pension received by women was around 82% of the amount received by men, according to the House of Commons Library.

However, the State Pension is only one part of retirement income, and the gap in private pension wealth remains much larger.

Among adults approaching retirement:

• Women aged 55 to 59 have median private pension wealth of around £81,000.

• Men of the same age have around £156,000.

• That leaves women with approximately 48% less median private pension wealth than men, based on the most recent available 2020–2022 data cited by the House of Commons Library.

Differences in working life may be one factor affecting people’s ability to build retirement savings. In 2024, 31.3% of women aged 50 to 64 were economically inactive, compared with 23.2% of men. Women in this age group were also twice as likely as men to give caring responsibilities as a main reason for being economically inactive.

These differences matter because income outside the State Pension can make up a substantial part of someone’s finances in retirement. The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that the State Pension accounts for more than half of total income for single pensioners and more than a third for pensioner couples.

The financial position of single pensioners is particularly relevant when looking at gender. In 2024–25, 19.8% of single pensioners were living in poverty, compared with 11.2% of pensioner couples, according to the Centre for Ageing Better. Women accounted for around two-thirds of single pensioners living in poverty.

More recent figures from Age UK estimate that approximately 1.1 million women pensioners are living in poverty.

Taken together, these figures show why the near-closure of the State Pension gender gap doesn’t necessarily mean the wider retirement income gap has disappeared. Women’s State Pension incomes may now be much closer to men’s among new retirees, but differences in private pension wealth, employment and caring responsibilities can still affect the financial resources available in later life.

Where does pensioner income come from?

The State Pension is only one part of the financial picture in retirement.

Across all pensioner households in the UK, average gross income stands at £731 per week.

Around 47% comes from benefits, while occupational pensions account for 27%, earnings for 13%, investments for 9% and personal pensions for 3%.

Occupational pensions are therefore an important source of retirement income. At UK level, pensioners receive an average £200 per week from occupational pensions, compared with £21 from personal pensions.

Employment also continues to contribute to some pensioner households’ finances. Among pensioner couples, earnings account for around 17% of average gross income.

These different sources of income are important when comparing regions. A lower percentage of income coming from benefits doesn’t necessarily mean pensioners receive less state support. Instead, they may have more income coming from workplace or personal pensions, investments, savings or employment.

London illustrates this particularly well. Pensioner couples there receive less in state benefits each week than couples in the North East (£371 compared with £412), but their overall average income is considerably higher.

How much does the typical pensioner receive?

Average income doesn’t necessarily represent what a typical pensioner receives, as a smaller number of people with particularly high incomes can pull the mean upwards. Median income provides another way of looking at pensioner finances.

Across the UK:

• Pensioner couples: Median gross weekly income is £763.

• Single pensioners: Median gross weekly income is £407.

• East Midlands: Pensioner couples have the lowest median gross weekly income at £695.

• London: Pensioner couples have the highest median gross weekly income at £865.

• West Midlands: Single pensioners have the lowest median gross weekly income at £380.

• London: Single pensioners have the highest median gross weekly income at £437.

• Northern Ireland: Single pensioners have a median gross income of £414, while median benefit income is £291.

• North East: Single pensioners also have a median gross income of £414, while median benefit income is £289.

These median incomes are lower than average incomes, suggesting that higher-income pensioner households are pushing up the overall average.

It’s important not to divide the median income and benefit figures to calculate the percentage of income coming from benefits. Each median is calculated separately, so they aren’t directly additive in the way mean income figures are.

What could a rising State Pension Age mean for retirement?

Regional differences in pensioner income are worth considering alongside another major change: people are having to wait longer to receive their State Pension.

For much of modern British history, the State Pension Age changed relatively little. Men’s State Pension Age remained at 65 for around 70 years, before beginning to increase in 2018.

The timeline now looks quite different:

• 2020: The State Pension Age reached 66.

• 2026–2028: It is being increased to 67.

• 2044–2046: Under current legislation, it is scheduled to rise to 68.

At the same time, people are expected to live longer. ONS life expectancy projections show:

• 2023: The average person reaching 65 could expect a further 21.2 years of life.

• 2047: This is projected to increase to around 23.2 years.

However, because the State Pension Age is also increasing, living longer doesn’t necessarily mean spending significantly longer receiving the State Pension. Much of the increase in longevity is likely to be offset by people becoming eligible later.

Where someone lives can affect this picture too:

• England: People born in 2023 have an average projected life expectancy of around 88.6 years.

• Scotland: The equivalent figure is around 86.7 years, almost two years lower.

• English women: Those born in 2023 are projected to live to around 90.3 years.

• Scottish men: Those born in 2023 are projected to live to around 84.9 years, creating a 5.4-year difference compared with English women.

Despite these differences in projected life expectancy, State Pension Age doesn’t vary according to where someone lives.

What about healthy life expectancy?

Living longer doesn’t necessarily mean spending all of those additional years in good health.

ONS data puts healthy life expectancy across the UK at around 61 years, with figures varying between different parts of the country.

This matters when considering a State Pension Age of 66, 67 or eventually 68. Some people may experience health problems or find it more difficult to continue working before they become eligible for their State Pension.

Having other sources of retirement income can potentially provide more flexibility over when someone stops working, while those who depend more heavily on state support may have fewer financial options before reaching State Pension Age.

More people could spend decades in retirement

While healthy life expectancy presents one challenge, increasing overall life expectancy creates another: retirement may need to be funded for a very long time.

Around 14.7% of babies born in 2023 are projected to reach their 100th birthday, according to ONS projections.

For those born in 2047, that rises to approximately 21% – around one in five.

Among women, the proportion is even higher, at 24.7%.

If the State Pension Age remained at 68 for these generations, someone who lived to 100 could potentially spend 32 years eligible for the State Pension. Of course, State Pension legislation could change considerably before today’s babies reach retirement age.

For individuals, it illustrates why retirement planning increasingly needs to account for the possibility of funding several decades after leaving work.

What does this mean for your retirement?

There isn’t one typical financial experience of retirement in the UK.

Where you live, whether you live alone or as a couple, the private pensions you’ve built up, your savings and investments and whether you continue working can all affect how much of your retirement income comes from the state.

The regional differences are substantial. State benefits account for around two-thirds of average gross income for single pensioners in Northern Ireland, while they account for less than a third of pensioner couples’ average income in London.

At the same time, the State Pension Age is increasing, while life expectancy and healthy life expectancy vary around the country.

Knowing when you’ll qualify for the State Pension is therefore only one part of planning for retirement. Understanding your pensions, savings and wider financial position can give you a clearer idea of the income you may have available and how reliant you could be on state support.

Methodology

We analysed the Department for Work and Pensions’ Pensioners’ Incomes: financial years ending 1995 to 2025, based on the Family Resources Survey.

Regional figures use DWP Table 2.4 and represent a three-year average covering 2022/23 to 2024/25, with income expressed as pounds per week in 2024/25 prices.

To calculate dependence on the state, benefit income was divided by mean gross income for pensioner couples and single pensioners in each UK region and nation.

Importantly, benefit income should not be interpreted as the State Pension alone. It includes the State Pension alongside other support such as Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Attendance Allowance, Winter Fuel Payment and other benefits. The DWP does not publish State Pension income separately at regional level.

Similarly, income not derived from benefits should not be described solely as private pension income. It includes occupational and personal pensions, investment income, earnings and other sources.

Region is the finest reliable geography available in the DWP dataset. The underlying Family Resources Survey contains approximately 6,300 pensioner units across the UK, and the DWP already uses three-year averages for its regional estimates because of sample sizes. City or local-authority-level income composition therefore cannot be reliably produced from this dataset without modelling.

Mean rather than median incomes were used to calculate income shares because mean income components are additive. Median figures have been included separately to provide context on typical pensioner income levels but have not been used to calculate percentages.

The additional analysis of the future State Pension Age uses the Government’s published State Pension Age timetable alongside ONS cohort life expectancy projections and ONS healthy life expectancy data. All future figures are projections based on current data and legislation and may change.