New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that two-thirds of workers in the State had supplementary pension cover of some form in the third quarter of last year.
The CSO noted that pension coverage was greatest among workers aged 45 to 54 years at 77%.
It remained lowest among younger workers with just one-fifth of workers aged 20 to 24 years having some form of pension coverage, it added.
Today's figures show that of the workers with supplementary pension cover, seven in ten have occupational pension cover from their current and/or previous employments.
A further one in nine have a personal pension or PRSA, while one in five have both forms of pension.
Of those workers with occupational pensions from their current employment in 2025, the number with "defined benefit" pensions was unchanged from 2024 at 26%, while the number of people with "defined contribution" pensions was also similar to the 69% recorded in 2024.
For those workers with no occupational pension coverage last year, 48% stated that their employer does not offer a pension scheme, down from 53% in the same time in 2024.
Of workers with no supplementary pension cover in 2025, 49% said they had just never got around to organising it or would organise it at a future date, up from 43% in 2024.
But 58% of those aged 55 to 69 years said affordability was the main reason for not having pension cover, an increase from 48% in 2024.
According to the CSO, the State Pension was cited as the expected main source of income on retirement for 52% of workers in 2025 with no pension coverage. 26% had not yet decided how they would fund their retirement, it added.
Meanwhile, awareness of and intent to participate in the Government Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme increased in 2025.
The CSO said that 45% of employees aged between 23 and 60 who are eligible to be auto-enrolled were aware of it, up from 29% in 2024.
74% of these workers are willing to remain in the scheme, up from 72% in 2024, the CSO added.
Keith Butler, CEO of Ask Acorn, said it is likely that next year's CSO figures will look significantly different as the impact of Auto Enrolement begins to take hold.
Mr Butler said that three months on from its launch, almost 770,000 employees have been enrolled to date, and the vast majority of eligible employers have registered for the scheme.
But he said a key question for those workers is whether a State-backed initiative alone will be sufficient to meet their needs in retirement.
"For many, AE may represent their first real opportunity to build a pension. While it will play an important role in improving coverage, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution," he said.
"For some workers, particularly those with varying income levels, career paths or retirement goals, AE may not deliver the level of retirement income they expect," he stated.
He said that with the opt-out window approaching - between six and eight months after enrolment - workers will soon need to decide whether to remain in the scheme.
"For those enrolled from January 1, this window will fall between June and August. Any decision to opt out should be carefully considered, particularly for those for whom AE may be their only access to a pension," he added.
