> Is theresomething like an industry average to compare against?
It depends on what your pension is invested in in terms of assets (e.g. equities, stock market indices, bonds, cash etc.). There is arguably nothing to be gained by comparing short term pension returns against equivalent deposit returns. All equity investments (assuming that some or all of your pension is in equities) are subject to risk and volatility over time but, in general and in the medium/long term are most likely to provide the best returns of all assets classes assuming that charges are reasonable. Don't forget that you are most likely getting generous tax breaks on your pension contributions which would not apply to most other investments.