Total global insurance premium income amounted to nearly €5.6 trillion (about $6.05 trillion) last year, according to a new report by Allianz Trade.
Life remained the largest insurance segment at €2.6 trillion, followed by property-casualty (€1.8 trillion) and health (€1.1 trillion). The premium pool grew by 4.9%, or €259 billion, amid a global inflation rate of 8.6%, Allianz Trade said.
The three segments fared quite differently when it came to growth. While P&C grew at a robust 8.7%, health grew by a more modest 4.9%. The life insurance market grew only 2.4% as households felt the squeeze of inflation on their incomes.
The rise in P&C premiums was driven by all regions of the world. However, more than half (€77.5 billion) of last year’s global increase came from North America alone. With premium income of €860 billion, North America remains the largest market in the world by a significant margin, Allianz Trade said.
Asia also saw significant growth of 8.4% (€31 billion) last year. With total premium income of almost €403 billion, Asia overtook Europe for the first time last year.
While P&C enjoyed robust growth, the life insurance market took a hit last year, particularly in Western Europe, where premium income fell by almost 3% (€22 billion) to €740 billion in 2022.
Sector growth was also disappointing in Asia, with an increase of only 3% (€33 billion) to €925 billion.
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As with the P&C sector, North America was the main growth driver for the life insurance segment last year, adding €61 billion in new premiums – a growth of 7.8% to €840 billion. North American dominance was even clearer in the health sector, where the US accounts for about two thirds of global premium income.
North America – and specifically the US, which accounts for 94% of the region’s premium pool – has dominated the global insurance market over the last decade, Allianz Trade reported.
More than half of the increase in global premium income in P&C and health was generated in North America. In the life segment, the North American share is still slightly below a third, with Asia dominating that market.
As a result, the region’s global share rose from 39.6% in 2012 to 43.9% in 2022, Allianz Trade reported.
That’s in direct contrast to Western Europe, which tumbled more than six percentage points to 23.8%.
Japan fell 3.7 percentage points to 5.5%, while China nearly doubled its global share to 11.4%.
Navigating the inflationary environment will be the industry’s biggest economic challenge over the coming years, Allianz Trade reported.
Still, premiums are predicted to increase by 5.2%pa over the next decade, adding €4,190 billion to the global premium pool. In 2033, premium income is projected to hit €4.3 trillion in life, €3.1 trillion in P&C and €2.3 trillion in health.
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