Membership

As at 31 March 2024, the total membership of the Scheme was 6.68million, compared with 6.49million as at 31 March 2023. The greatest increase in absolute and relative terms was to pensioner membership, which increased by 2.03 per cent relative to total membership and 6.35 per cent relative to pensioner membership over the year to March 2024. 

Active membership of the LGPS has continued to grow, with the biggest absolute and relative increase since 2020. Deferred membership of the LGPS has decreased -0.06 per cent relative to overall membership and -0.2 per cent relative to deferred membership.  

LGPS membership as a whole has continued to grow with an increase of 2.84 per cent over the year, the largest increase since 2020. 

LGPS Membership 2014-2024

LGPS Membership 2023-24

Year 

Actives (000) 

Deferreds (000) 

Pensioners (000) 

Total (000) 

31 March 2014  

1,821 

1,732 

1,459 

5,012 

31 March 2015 

1,870 

1,798 

1,487 

5,155 

31 March 2016 

1,914 

1,881 

1,540 

5,335 

31 March 2017 

1,941 

2,052 

1,625 

5,619 

31 March 2018 

2,011 

2,167 

1,685 

5,863 

31 March 2019 

1,957 

2,214 

1,728 

5,899 

31 March 2020 

2,019 

2,307 

1,833 

6,160 

31 March 2021 

2,018 

2,328 

1,881 

6,226 

31 March 2022 

2,049 

2,384 

1,955 

6,388 

31 March 2023 

2,090 

2,398 

2,006 

6,494 

31 March 2024 

2,148 

2,394 

2,142 

6,684 

Increase (decrease) 2015 

1.00% 

1.50% 

0.60% 

3.10% 

Increase (decrease) 2016 

0.60% 

1.20% 

0.80% 

2.60% 

Increase (decrease) 2017 

1.20% 

4.10% 

2.10% 

7.50% 

Increase (decrease) 2018 

0.80% 

1.40% 

0.90% 

3.10% 

Increase (decrease) 2019 

(0.90%) 

0.90% 

0.60% 

0.60% 

Increase (decrease) 2020 

1.10% 

1.60% 

1.80% 

4.40% 

Increase (decrease) 2021 

0.00% 

0.30% 

0.80% 

1.10% 

Increase (decrease) 2022 

0.50% 

0.90% 

1.20% 

2.60% 

Increase (decrease) 2023 

0.60% 

0.20% 

0.80% 

1.60% 

Increase (decrease) 2024 

0.87% 

(0.06%) 

2.03% 

2.84% 

Growth in the sections of membership calculated relative to the total. 

Year 

Actives 

Deferreds 

Pensioners 

Total 

31 March 20 

36.30% 

34.60% 

29.10% 

100% 

31 March 2015 

36.30% 

34.90% 

28.80% 

100% 

31 March 2016 

35.90% 

35.30% 

28.90% 

100% 

31 March 2017 

34.60% 

36.50% 

28.90% 

100% 

31 March 2018 

34.30% 

37.00% 

28.70% 

100% 

31 March 2019 

33.20% 

37.50% 

29.30% 

100% 

31 March 2020 

32.80% 

37.50% 

29.80% 

100% 

31March 2021 

32.40% 

37.40% 

30.20% 

100% 

31 March 2022 

32.10% 

37.30% 

30.10% 

100% 

31 March 2023 

32.20% 

36.90% 

30.90% 

100% 

31 March 2024 

32.14% 

35.82% 

32.05% 

100% 

 

Employers 

The total number of employers with active contributing members was 15,049 compared to 13,802** in 2023. Before 2020 a figure for total number of employers was accumulated. This figure included funds who reported a total based on employers with active, deferred and/or pensioner members and others who reported a total number of employers only with active members. This total figure is considered too inconsistent to report and was amended to include only employers with active membership. 

**This figure does not include 8 funds as they did not provide numbers of employers so is not directly comparable. 

The 2024 Annual Report Guidance stated that employers should be reported by type, e.g., scheduled, admitted and designated bodies. This data was only found in 76% of fund annual reports. 

 

Scheduled Bodies 

Admitted Bodies 

Designated Bodies 

Total Employers with Active Members 

6160 

3639 

478 

15,049 

 

Fund administering authority type 

Count of funds 

Average number of active employers per fund 

Metropolitan Districts 

452 

County Councils/Unitaries 

38 

271 

London Boroughs 

31 

50 

Wales 

46 

Other 

136 

 

LGPS employers

The chart shows how the average number of employers differs between the types of administering authority. County council administered funds typically have more participating employers compared with London boroughs. The 'Other' category comprises the London Pensions Fund Authority, South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, the Environment Agency funds and the City of London.