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Insurance industry

Research guide

Published: 21 Jun 2018 Updated: 21 Aug 2023 Update History

Exclusive content
Access to our exclusive resources is for specific groups of students and members.

Use our industry guide to find key background information, market research, import and export guidelines, statistics, legislation, trade bodies and trade publications.

The Business & Industry Guides series is produced by the Library & Information Service for ICAEW members and ACA students.

We can compile tailored key players reports, mailing lists, market reports, benchmarking reports and industry news. Our enquiry team can also research other industry-specific information, such as taxation, for you. Call us on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or email library@icaew.com.

Trends and forecasts

Online articles

The library provides full access to articles from leading business, finance and management journals.

Access to articles is provided subject to suppliers’ terms of use.

eBooks

The Library provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers.

The FINTECH Book : The Financial Technology Handbook for Investors, Entrepreneurs and Visionaries
Susanne Chishti and Janos Barberis (John Wiley & Sons, 2016)
A guide to the financial technology revolution for entrepreneurs, bankers and investors. Covers current trends, latest industry developments and the future of FinTech. Discusses the insurance sector and the opportunities provided by FinTech.

You are permitted to use this eBook subject to individual supplier terms of use.

Useful links

Global insurance outlook 2023
Annual EY report exploring key issues shaping the near-term future of the insurance industry. The 2022 edition is also available.

Insurance CEO outlook 2022
KPMG survey providing insights from global insurance CEOs. Areas covered include the prospects for economic recovery, strategies for growth and industry trends. The 2021 edition is also available.

Insurance banana skins 2021
Latest edition of PwC's biennial survey looking at risks facing the global insurance industry and future trends. The 2019 edition is also available.

Brexit

The UK-EU trade deal: financial services
Briefing paper from the House of Commons Library outlining the UK-EU trade deal’s provisions on financial services and early indications of its impact on the sector. Published 22 June 2021.

Brexit and The City: The Impact So Far
Summary of a study from think tank New Financial on the impact of Brexit on the UK banking and finance industry and the emerging post-Brexit landscape of financial centres across the EU. Full report available upon request. Published April 2021.

The impact to financial services firms of the Brexit deal – EY comment
Commentary and analysis of how the trade agreement may affect the financial services sector, highlighting four key areas of regulatory focus for firms: cross-border access, protective vs open policies, capital and frictional costs, and co-operation on the supervision of large groups and global policy forums. Published 20 December 2020.

Covid

Financial Institutions Sentiment Survey 2021: On the road to recovery
Survey by Lloyds Bank of senior executives at over 100 financial services firms in the UK. Provides insights into the impact of COVID-19 on expectations for growth and job creation. Also includes views on sustainability in the year of COP26. Published in September 2021

COVID-19 economic impact on expected credit losses
Analysis from KPMG of the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance and expected credit losses of major UK banks. Published in May 2021.

Market research

Market research reports focusing on this business sector are available from a number of market research specialists. In most cases these reports are available to fee-paying subscribers or on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Industry profiles and SWOT analyses

Industry profiles give an overview of market size in different countries or regions, the competitive landscape and provide a forecast of market performance. These profiles are available exclusively for ICAEW members and ACA students through the Library & Information Service.

Regional reports

Africa

Asia

Europe

Latin America

Middle East

North America

Oceania

If you’re looking for industry profiles for regions or countries not listed above, please contact the Library on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or email library@icaew.com.

SWOT analyses examining the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for major companies operating in this sector are available.

If you experience any problems accessing these resources, please see our online resources troubleshooting FAQ.

Other market research specialists

Some free information is available from the following market research specialists, ranging from industry news to executive summaries of the reports.

Euromonitor
A full listing of reference products and research reports for the finance and insurance sector from Euromonitor, with a range of global, country and company level reports. Each report provides a contents listing and a useful executive summary reporting on the key trends in each country report.

IBISWorld
Business and industry research specialists offering reports on a wide range of sectors, including life insurance, general insurance and reinsurance. Report snapshots, table of contents and a sample report are available. The company also produces global industry research reports.

Mintel
A full listing of reports covering the insurance market are available with the option to view the executive summary and a table of contents for each report.

Industry news

Need to find the latest news on this industry sector? We can carry out industry news searches using a range of trade titles and general business sources through our databases. To discuss your requirements, please contact the enquiry team on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com.

Statistics on the UK

Association of British Insurers (ABI)

The ABI compiles and publishes industry data, some of which is available free of charge. The annual UK Insurance and Long Term Key Facts includes statistics on:

  • size of UK insurance industry
  • worldwide premium income by country
  • contribution to the UK economy
  • breakdown of general insurance sectors
  • long-term savings and life insurance
  • how consumers purchase insurance
  • invested funds by asset class.

Office for National Statistics

The Annual Business Survey (ABS) from the Office for National Statistics collects financial information covering UK production, construction, distribution and service industries. Statistics available include:

  • number of enterprises;
  • total turnover;
  • approximate gross value added at basic prices;
  • total purchases of goods, materials and services;
  • total employment costs;
  • total net capital expenditure;
  • total net capital expenditure – acquisitions;
  • total net capital expenditure – disposals;
  • total stocks and work in progress – value at end of year;
  • total stocks and work in progress – value at beginning of year;
  • total stocks and work in progress – increase during year.

The dataset Non-financial business economy, UK: Sections A to S includes statistics for:

  • Life insurance (65.11)
  • Non-life insurance (65.12)
  • Reinsurance (65.2)

See Section K: Financial and insurance activities.

Statistics on Europe

Eurostat

Eurostat, the EU statistics hub, collates detailed Structural Business Statistics giving the latest figures for industry, construction, trade and services by sector and country. The indicators available include:

  • number of enterprises
  • turnover or gross premiums written
  • production value
  • value added at factor cost
  • gross operating surplus
  • wages and salaries
  • social security costs
  • gross investment in tangible goods
  • gross investment in land
  • gross investment in existing buildings and structures
  • gross investment in construction and alteration of buildings
  • gross investment in machinery and equipment
  • number of employees
  • number of persons employed per enterprise.

Statistics within the database are available for:

  • Statistics on insurance services
    See database section ‘SBS – services’

Insurance Europe

Insurance Europe publishes European Insurance in Figures annually, providing market data on:

  • Total European gross written premiums
  • Worldwide premiums
  • Life gross written premiums
  • Non-life gross written premiums
  • Motor gross written premiums
  • Health gross written premiums
  • Property gross written premiums
  • Other non-life gross written premiums
  • Total insurers' investment portfolio
  • Life insurers' investment portfolio
  • Non-life insurers' investment portfolio
  • Structure of insurers' investment portfolio
  • Number of insurance companies
  • Number of employees
  • Breakdown of life insurance premiums by distribution channel
  • Breakdown of non-life insurance premiums by distribution channel

Statistics on the Americas

Insurance Information Institute

The Insurance Information Institute compiles a wealth of mostly US facts andstatistics on a wide variety of topics, including data on individual types of insurance.

Global statistics

OECD

The OECD publishes an annual Insurance Statistics Yearbook with data and analysis on all OECD countries for life and non-life insurance, covering:

  • balance sheet and income
  • portfolio allocation
  • total gross premiums
  • market share
  • density
  • penetration
  • direct total gross premiums per insurance company employee
  • retention ratio
  • ratio of reinsurance accepted
  • market share of foreign companies in the domestic market.

Employment

UK

The Office for National Statistics publication Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) includes average employment costs within this sector which can be found in Table 14. Average employment costs are provided for full-time employees, part-time employees and all employees.

The data includes average employment costs for:

  • brokers;
  • insurance underwriters;
  • pensions and insurance clerks.

The annual Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES), published by the Office for National Statistics, includes total employee and employment estimates for different industries for Great Britain and the UK. Figures are broken down to show full-time/part-time and public/private splits. The dataset Industry – Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES): Table 2 includes statistics for:

  • Life insurance (65110)
  • Non-life insurance (65120)
  • Life Reinsurance (65201)
  • Non-life reinsurance (65202)
  • Activities of insurance agents and brokers (66220)
  • Other activities auxiliary to insurance and pension funding (66290)

Other regions

Please see individual country profile pages for links to sources of national statistics.

Legislation and regulation

Financial services sector: End of transition period guidance
Page from HM Treasury which brings together guidance on the end of the Brexit transition period for consumers and financial services businesses from a number of government departments and regulatory bodies.

 

Considerations for firms after the transition period
Information from the Financial Conduct Authority to help financial services firms at the end of the Brexit transition period. Includes temporary transitional power (TTP), considerations for UK and EEA firms and the end of passporting.

 

UK business guides

Croner-i Business Focus

Business Focus is a resource that provides practical information on many small business trades and sectors. Its Business Opportunity Profiles offer detailed insights into market conditions, legal issues and the trading environment for a range of businesses. They include:

  • Insurance broker

To find out more about Business Focus, please contact our enquiry team on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com.

UK key players, ratios and trends

We can produce reports on this sector using selected information from the FAME company database. Reports are available for:

  • Life insurance
    UK SIC (2007) Code 65.11
  • Non-life insurance
    UK SIC (2007) Code 65.12

Summaries of the three types of report we can produce are given below. You can find further information, a sample report, pricing details and an online order form on our industry sector reports page.

We also operate a bespoke reports service with results tailored to your specifications. Please contact our enquiry team on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com to discuss your requirements.

Key players report

Our key players report looks at the top companies (by turnover) in any one of the segments within this sector. Reports usually include the top 100 companies but in more specialised sectors with fewer than 100 companies we show all companies with disclosed figures. The reports provide data on 11 comparative fields for the last available year, including:

  • turnover;
  • profit margins;
  • returns on shareholder funds;
  • solvency ratios
  • number of employees.

Our reports enable easy comparison of the top companies in this sector against each other and against the sector median, average and standard deviation in each of the 11 fields.

Mailing list

A separate mailing list report is also available with address and contact details for the top companies in any of the segments within this sector.

Market reports

Our market reports look at the aggregated data for the top companies (by turnover) for any of the segments within this sector across all the fields usually found in a company report. The reports include data for the last 10 years* and enables easy comparison of trends for the whole sector. Reports usually include the top 100 companies but in more specialised sectors with fewer than 100 companies we show all companies with disclosed figures.

*Please note the number of companies for which data is aggregated will vary for any given year.

The market reports include sections on:

  • key financials and employees;
  • profit and loss account;
  • balance sheet;
  • cash flow statement;
  • financial ratios;
  • financial trends and changes;
  • profitability trends and changes.

UK benchmarking

We offer benchmarking reports that can be used to inform your own business strategy or help you identify value-added services to offer to your clients.

Contact the enquiry team directly on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com for a report tailored to your own specific requirements.

Trade bodies

The websites of trade bodies in this sector are a useful source of industry overviews, contacts and statistics.

UK

Europe

Middle East

Africa

Americas

Asia

Oceania

Global

Trade journals and publications

Further reading

Articles and books in the Library collection

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to book loans.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports by post or email through our document supply service.

Can't find what you're looking for?

The ICAEW Library can give you the right information from trustworthy, professional sources that aren't freely available online. Contact us for expert help with your enquiries and research.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information given in this Business & Industry Guide is correct. However, the content of websites changes frequently and users should satisfy themselves that the information they contain is suitable for the purposes for which they wish to use it. We would be grateful to receive notification of any broken links at library@icaew.com.

Disclaimer

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided ‘as is’ with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

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