Pension Fund Statistics – Q3 2020
Publication Date: 4 March 2021
Key Points
- The Irish pension fund sector continues to recover from the financial market shock experienced in the first quarter of 2020. Asset values increased by a total of 5% across Q2 and Q3 2020 but still remain below pre-pandemic levels.
- At end-Q3 2020, total assets of the Irish pension fund sector were €118.3 billion, up slightly on the previous quarter. This was due to increases in pension fund reserves (2.8%), which primarily consist of unit–linked insurance products, and investment fund shares (1.6%).
- Pension entitlements, which account for 99 per cent of all liabilities, equated to €80.5bn for defined benefit pension funds and €42.5bn for defined contribution pension funds at end-Q3 2020.
Summary Charts
Chart 1: Total assets of Irish pension funds by instrument type

Chart 2: Total assets and liabilities of Irish pension funds
Chart 3: Pension Entitlements by Type - Q3 2020
Further Information
Explanatory Notes - Pension Fund Statistics | pdf 273 KB
Pension Fund Statistics | xls 16 KB
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