Under-30 Workers Lead Pension Scheme Participation

•12% of 92 million workers in the scheme

By Roseamry Iwunze

In the fourth quarter of 2025 (Q4 '25), 44,837 workers under 30 years old joined the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), representing 39.03 percent of all new contributors that quarter.

During the same period, the number of Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) increased to 11,042,903 from 10,928,039 in Q3 '25.

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) reported that active CPS membership now accounts for about 12 percent of Nigeria’s estimated 92 million‑person labour force, indicating significant potential for further growth, especially within the informal sector.

Age‑group breakdowns for Q4 '25 show that 40,284 workers aged 30–40 joined the scheme (35.07 percent of new members), 22,182 workers aged 40–49 joined (19.31 percent), and 7,561 workers aged 50 and above joined (6.58 percent).

PenOp, the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria, noted that female participation in the quarter’s cohort rose to 40.3 percent, reflecting progress toward gender parity.

“Even more striking, 74.1 percent of new accounts were opened by Nigerians under 40, underscoring the system’s greatest long‑term strength: a young, expanding contributor base whose retirement horizon stretches well beyond 2050. With only 12 percent of the labour force currently enrolled, the opportunity for growth—especially in the informal sector—remains immense. This demographic reality calls for investment strategies calibrated to long horizons, with greater risk‑bearing capacity to match the future‑focused profile of contributors,” the association said.

The post Workers under 30yrs dominate pension scheme appeared first on Vanguard News.