Number of people of State Pension age and working age, and old age dependency ratios for regions, counties and local authorities in England.

Data on membership, contributions, benefits, assets (including overseas) and liabilities of funded occupational pension schemes in the UK. Data are quarterly from the Financial Survey of Pension Schemes (FSPS).

Almost 13 million individuals were receiving UK pension benefits as of the first quarter of 2023. The number of recipients peaked for the age group between 70 and 74 years old, and then began to fall with each subsequent age bracket. With over 650,000 recipients, the 90 and above category had the lowest number of UK pension beneficiaries.

United Kingdom % of Household: by Type: 1 Person: Over State Pension Age data was reported at 13.433 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.378 % for 2015. United Kingdom % of Household: by Type: 1 Person: Over State Pension Age data is updated yearly, averaging 13.248 % from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2016, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.656 % in 2013 and a record low of 12.893 % in 2011. United Kingdom % of Household: by Type: 1 Person: Over State Pension Age data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.H027: Number of Households, Household Size and Type.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Family Resources Survey (FRS) has been running continuously since 1992 to meet the information needs of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It is almost wholly funded by DWP.

The FRS collects information from a large, and representative sample of private households in the United Kingdom (prior to 2002, it covered Great Britain only). The interview year runs from April to March.

The focus of the survey is on income, and how much comes from the many possible sources (such as employee earnings, self-employed earnings or profits from businesses, and dividends; individual pensions; state benefits, including Universal Credit and the State Pension; and other sources such as savings and investments). Specific items of expenditure, such as rent or mortgage, Council Tax and water bills, are also covered.

Many other topics are covered and the dataset has a very wide range of personal characteristics, at the adult or child, family and then household levels. These include education, caring, childcare and disability. The dataset also captures material deprivation, household food security and (new for 2021/22) household food bank usage.

The FRS is a national statistic whose results are published on the gov.uk website. It is also possible to create your own tables from FRS data, using DWP’s Stat Xplore tool. Further information can be found on the gov.uk Family Resources Survey webpage.

Secure Access FRS data
In addition to the standard End User Licence (EUL) version, Secure Access datasets, containing unrounded data and additional variables, are also available for FRS from 2005/06 onwards - see SN 9256. Prospective users of the Secure Access version of the FRS will need to fulfil additional requirements beyond those associated with the EUL datasets. Full details of the application requirements are available from Guidance on applying for the Family Resources Survey: Secure Access.

FRS, HBAI and PI
The FRS underpins the related Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset, which focuses on poverty in the UK, and the related Pensioners' Incomes (PI) dataset. The EUL versions of HBAI and PI are held under SNs 5828 and 8503, respectively. The Secure Access versions are held under SN 7196 and 9257 (see above).

FRS 2022-23

The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the FRS 2022-23 survey was much reduced when compared with the two previous survey years. Throughout the year, there was a gradual return to pre-pandemic fieldwork practices, with the majority of interviews being conducted in face-to-face mode. The achieved sample was just over 25,000 households. Users are advised to consult the FRS 2022-23 Background Information and Methodology document for detailed information on changes, developments and issues related to the 2022-23 FRS data set and publication. Alongside the usual topics covered, the 2022-2023 FRS also includes variables for Cost of Living support, including those on certain state benefits; energy bill support; and Council Tax support. See documentation for further details.

FRS 2021-22 and 2020-21 and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the FRS 2021-22 and 2020-21 data collection in the following ways:

• In 2020-21, fieldwork operations for the FRS were rapidly changed in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the introduction of national lockdown restrictions. The established face-to-face interviewing approach employed on the FRS was suspended and replaced with telephone interviewing for the whole of the 2020-21 survey year.

• This change impacted both the size and composition of the achieved sample. This shift in mode of interview has been accompanied by a substantial reduction in the number of interviews achieved: just over 10,000 interviews were achieved this year, compared with 19,000 to 20,000 in a typical FRS year. While we made every effort to address additional biases identified (e.g. by altering our weighting regime), some residual bias remains. Please see the FRS 2020-21 Background Information and Methodology document for more information.
• The FRS team have published a technical report for the 2020-21 survey, which provides a full assessment of the impact of the pandemic on the statistics. In line with the Statistics Code of Practice, this is designed to assist users with interpreting the data and to aid transparency over decisions and data quality issues.

• In 2021-22, the interview mode was largely telephone, with partial return to face-to-face...

The Family Resources Survey (FRS) has been running continuously since 1992 to meet the information needs of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It is almost wholly funded by DWP.

The FRS collects information from a large, and representative sample of private households in the United Kingdom (prior to 2002, it covered Great Britain only). The interview year runs from April to March.

The focus of the survey is on income, and how much comes from the many possible sources (such as employee earnings, self-employed earnings or profits from businesses, and dividends; individual pensions; state benefits, including Universal Credit and the State Pension; and other sources such as savings and investments). Specific items of expenditure, such as rent or mortgage, Council Tax and water bills, are also covered.

Many other topics are covered and the dataset has a very wide range of personal characteristics, at the adult or child, family and then household levels. These include education, caring, childcare and disability. The dataset also captures material deprivation, household food security and (new for 2021/22) household food bank usage.

The FRS is a national statistic whose results are published on the gov.uk website. It is also possible to create your own tables from FRS data, using DWP’s Stat Xplore tool. Further information can be found on the gov.uk Family Resources Survey webpage.

Secure Access FRS data
In addition to the standard End User Licence (EUL) version, Secure Access datasets, containing unrounded data and additional variables, are also available for FRS from 2005/06 onwards - see SN 9256. Prospective users of the Secure Access version of the FRS will need to fulfil additional requirements beyond those associated with the EUL datasets. Full details of the application requirements are available from http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/media/178323/secure_frs_application_guidance.pdf" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Guidance on applying for the Family Resources Survey: Secure Access.

FRS, HBAI and PI
The FRS underpins the related Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset, which focuses on poverty in the UK, and the related Pensioners' Incomes (PI) dataset. The EUL versions of HBAI and PI are held under SNs 5828 and 8503, respectively. The Secure Access versions are held under SN 7196 and 9257 (see above).

Annual data on membership (active, preserved and pensioner), contribution rates and benefits for occupational pension schemes in the UK.

The State Pension was first introduced on 1 January 1909. The foundation of a universal contribution-related basic State Pension was laid in the 1940s. There are two main types of State Pension: contributory and non-contributory. Contributory State Pension consists of any combination of a Basic Pension (BP), Additional Pension (AP) or Graduated Retirement Benefit (GRB). Non-contributory pension consists of a Basic Pension plus any Graduated Retirement Benefit that is due.

DWP data downloaded from NOMIS website

Annual estimates of the proportion of UK employees in each pension type and contracted-out status (prior to 2016), by age group and gross weekly earnings bands.

Pensioners' Incomes (PI) contains estimates of the levels, sources and distribution of pensioners' incomes. It also examines the position of single pensioners and pensioner couples, including any dependent children, within the income distribution of the population as a whole. This differs from Households Below Average Income (HBAI) (see SNs 5828 and 7196), where analysis is on a household basis, and includes the income of adults not in the pensioner unit but living in the same household. The PI undertakes a few extra steps beyond the FRS and HBAI data to derive pension income variables.

The PI series is a key source of information used to inform Government thinking on relevant policies and related programmes and projects. Researchers and analysts outside the government use statistics and data to examine topics such as ageing, the distributional impacts of fiscal policies, and pensioner groups' income profiles. The PI estimates are usually based on a sample of around 7,000 adults over State Pension age, who reside in private households in the United Kingdom, taken from the Family Resources Survey (FRS).

The gov.uk Pensioners' Incomes Statistics webpage contains annual reports, accompanying tables, research, and technical papers.

PI data are also available from 1994/95 onwards via the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Stat-Xplore online tool.

Secure Access PI data

The Secure Access version of the PI series (SN 9257) is available from 2007/08 onwards, whereas the standard End User Licence (EUL) data (SN 8503) are available from 2008/09. Unlike the EUL versions, the ages of the head of household and spouse have not been top-coded at 80 years in the Secure Access version. Prospective users of the Secure Access version must fulfil additional requirements beyond those associated with the EUL datasets. The Secure Access version of FRS is held under SN 9256, and the Secure Access version of HBAI is available under SN 7196.

Legacy unique identifier: P00029

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Pensioners' Incomes (PI) contains estimates of the levels, sources and distribution of pensioners' incomes. It also examines the position of single pensioners and pensioner couples, including any dependent children, within the income distribution of the population as a whole. This differs from Households Below Average Income (HBAI) (see SNs 5828 and 7196), where analysis is on a household basis, and includes the income of adults not in the pensioner unit but living in the same household. The PI undertakes a few extra steps beyond the FRS and HBAI data to derive pension income variables.

The PI series is a key source of information used to inform Government thinking on relevant policies and related programmes and projects. Researchers and analysts outside the government use statistics and data to examine topics such as ageing, the distributional impacts of fiscal policies, and pensioner groups' income profiles. The PI estimates are usually based on a sample of around 7,000 adults over State Pension age, who reside in private households in the United Kingdom, taken from the Family Resources Survey (FRS).

The gov.uk Pensioners' Incomes Statistics webpage contains annual reports, accompanying tables, research, and technical papers.

PI data are also available from 1994/95 onwards via the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Stat-Xplore online tool.

Secure Access PI data

The Secure Access version of the PI series (SN 9257) is available from 2007/08 onwards, whereas the standard End User Licence (EUL) data (SN 8503) are available from 2008/09. Unlike the EUL versions, the ages of the head of household and spouse have not been top-coded at 80 years in the Secure Access version. Prospective users of the Secure Access version must fulfil additional requirements beyond those associated with the EUL datasets. The Secure Access version of FRS is held under SN 9256, and the Secure Access version of HBAI is available under SN 7196.

Latest edition information

For the sixth edition (May 2024), data and documentation for 2022/23 have been added to the study.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

• construct waves of accessible and well-documented panel data;
• provide these data in a convenient and timely fashion to the scientific and policy research community;
• describe health trajectories, disability and healthy life expectancy in a representative sample of the English population aged 50 and over;
• examine the relationship between economic position and health;
• nvestigate the determinants of economic position in older age;
• describe the timing of retirement and post-retirement labour market activity; and
• understand the relationships between social support, household structure and the transfer of assets.

Further information may be found on the the ELSA project website or the Natcen Social Research: ELSA web pages.

Health conditions research with ELSA - June 2021

The ELSA Data team have found some issues with historical data measuring health conditions. If you are intending to do any analysis looking at the following health conditions, then please contact the ELSA Data team at NatCen on elsadata@natcen.ac.uk for advice on how you should approach your analysis. The affected conditions are: eye conditions (glaucoma; diabetic eye disease; macular degeneration; cataract), CVD conditions (high blood pressure; angina; heart attack; Congestive Heart Failure; heart murmur; abnormal heart rhythm; diabetes; stroke; high cholesterol; other heart trouble) and chronic health conditions (chronic lung disease; asthma; arthritis; osteoporosis; cancer; Parkinson's Disease; emotional, nervous or psychiatric problems; Alzheimer's Disease; dementia; malignant blood disorder; multiple sclerosis or motor neurone disease).

Special Licence Data:

Special Licence Access versions of ELSA have more restrictive access conditions than versions available under the standard End User Licence (see 'Access' section below). Users are advised to obtain the latest edition of SN 5050 (the End User Licence version) before making an application for Special Licence data, to see whether that is suitable for their needs. A separate application must be made for each Special Licence study.

Special Licence Access versions of ELSA include:

• Primary data from Wave 8 onwards (SN 8346) includes all the variables in the EUL primary dataset (SN 5050) as well as year and month of birth, consolidated ethnicity and country of birth, marital status, and more detailed medical history variables.
• Wave 8 Pension Age Data (SN 8375) includes all the variables in the EUL pension age data (SN 5050) as well as year and age reached state pension age variables.
• Wave 8 Sexual Self-Completion Data (SN 8376) includes sensitive variables from the sexual self-completion questionnaire.
• Wave 3 (2007) Harmonized Life History (SN 8831) includes retrospective information on previous histories, specifically, detailed data on previous partnership, children, residential, health, and work histories.
• Detailed geographical identifier files for Waves 1-10 which are grouped by identifier held under SN 8429 (Local Authority District Pre-2009 Boundaries), SN 8439 (Local Authority District Post-2009 Boundaries), SN 8430 (Local Authority Type Pre-2009 Boundaries), SN 8441 (Local Authority Type Post-2009 Boundaries), SN 8431 (Quintile Index of Multiple Deprivation Score), SN 8432 (Quintile Population Density for Postcode Sectors), SN 8433 (Census 2001 Rural-Urban Indicators), SN 8437 (Census 2011 Rural-Urban Indicators).

Where boundary changes have occurred, the geographic identifier has been split into two separate studies to reduce the risk of disclosure. Users are also only allowed one version of each identifier:

• either SN 8429 (Local Authority District Pre-2009 Boundaries) or SN 8439 (Local Authority District Post-2009 Boundaries)
• either SN 8430 (Local Authority Type Pre-2009 Boundaries) or SN 8441(Local Authority Type Post-2009 Boundaries)
• either SN 8433 (Census 2001 Rural-Urban Indicators) or SN 8437 (Census 2011 Rural-Urban Indicators)

ELSA Wave 6 and Wave 8 Self-Completion Questionnaires included an open-ended question where respondents could add any other comments they may wish to note down. These responses have been transcribed and anonymised. Researchers can request access to these transcribed responses for research purposes by contacting the...

The value of any pension pots already accrued that are not state basic retirement or state earning related. This includes occupational pensions, personal pensions, retained rights in previous pensions and pensions in payment.

The UK government spent approximately 5.45 billion British pounds on pension credit in 2022/23. Following the introduction of pension credit in October 2003, expenditure on pension credit peaked in the early 2010s but has been declining since then.

• construct waves of accessible and well-documented panel data;
• provide these data in a convenient and timely fashion to the scientific and policy research community;
• describe health trajectories, disability and healthy life expectancy in a representative sample of the English population aged 50 and over;
• examine the relationship between economic position and health;
• investigate the determinants of economic position in older age;
• describe the timing of retirement and post-retirement labour market activity; and
• understand the relationships between social support, household structure and the transfer of assets.

• Primary Data from Wave 8 onwards (SN 8444) includes all the variables in the SL primary dataset (SN 8346) as well as day of birth, combined SIC 2003 code (5 digit), combined SOC 2000 code (4 digit), NS-SEC long version including and excluding unclassifiable and non-workers.
• Pension Age Data from Wave 8 onwards (SN 8445) includes all the variables in the SL pension age data (SN 8375) as well as year reached pension age variable.
• Detailed geographical identifier files for each wave, grouped by identifier held under SN 8423 (Index of Multiple Deprivation Score), SN 8424 (Local Authority District Pre-2009 Boundaries), SN 8438 (Local Authority District Post-2009 Boundaries), SN 8425 (Census 2001 Lower Layer Super Output Areas), SN 8434 (Census 2011 Lower Layer Super Output Areas), SN 8426(Census 2001 Middle Layer Super Output Areas), SN 8435 (Census 2011 Middle Layer Super Output Areas), SN 8427 (Population Density for Postcode Sectors), SN 8428 (Census 2001 Rural-Urban Indicators), SN 8436 (Census 2011 Rural-Urban Indicators).

• either SN 8424 (Local Authority District Pre-2009 Boundaries) or SN 8438 (Local Authority District Post-2009 Boundaries)
• either SN 8425 (Census 2001 Lower Layer Super Output Areas) or SN 8434 (Census 2011 Lower Layer Super Output Areas)
• either SN 8426 (Census 2001 Middle Layer Super Output Areas) or SN 8435 (Census 2011 Middle Layer Super Output Areas)
• either SN 8428 (Census 2001 Rural-Urban Indicators) or SN 8436 (Census 2011 Rural-Urban Indicators)

Pension Credit was introduced in October 2003.

It is a non-contributory, income-related benefit. Its purposes are:

• To lift the poorest pensioners out of poverty by providing a contribution to a minimum guaranteed income for those aged 60 and over living in Great Britain.

• To reward those aged 65 and over who have made modest provision for their retirement.

It is not necessary to have paid National Insurance contributions to be eligible. Pension Credit replaced the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), which, itself, replaced Income Support for older people in April 1999. However, the principle of a guaranteed minimum income continues to apply.

There are two parts to Pension Credit: the guarantee credit and the savings credit. The guarantee credit provides financial help for people aged 60 or over whose income is below a certain level set by the law. The level that applies depends on personal circumstances; this is the standard minimum guarantee. The awarded amount will depend on other sources of income, such as other pensions and savings. Extra amounts will be added to the standard minimum guarantee for those who have: relevant housing costs severe disabilities caring responsibilities

The savings credit is an extra amount for people aged 65 or over who have made some provision for their retirement (such as savings or a second pension) which brings their income above a level set by Parliament, called the ‘savings credit threshold’. The aim is to reward pensioners who have modest income or savings. A savings credit can be given on top of a guarantee credit. Claimants may still get a savings credit even if their income is above the standard minimum guarantee level.

DWP data downloaded from NOMIS website