Europe's pension industry needs to return more than 8% a year to meet its obligations over the coming decade, according to a Financial News survey of 200 pension funds with €580bn ($725bn) in assets.

The poll revealed the scale of the problems facing pension funds across Europe, with respondents snowed under by regulation and scrambling to recover deficits. Funds in the Netherlands and the UK, two of the most advanced markets, need to return more than 10% a year to meet their obligations. One in three schemes surveyed reported a significant funding deficit.