Zurich retail protection claims payments up 9% in 2025
For further information, please contact:
Miranda Kyte, Zurich UK Media Relations Manager
0748 446 2799
miranda.kyte@uk.zurich.com
04 June 2026
- Over 5,500 life, critical illness and income protection customers received payments worth £392 million, up 9% on the previous year
- 97.4% of all individual protection claims were paid in 2025
- Critical illness payments increase by 20% to £125.4 million
- Cancer remains the number one reason for critical illness and children’s cover claims
- More than a quarter of income protection claims are attributed to mental illness
Insurer Zurich UK today announces its Retail Protection claims paid statistics for 2025. Individual protection payments to customers and their families following a bereavement, illness or injury amounted to £392 million. This is up 9% year-on-year, from £361 million in 2024. Over the course of 2025, more than 5,500 new claims were paid, averaging 15 claims paid a day. In total, 97.4% of all individual protection claims were paid in 2025.
Commenting on the data, Claire Curley, Head of Claims Retail Protection at Zurich UK said:
"Our figures show the real value of protection at the moments people need it most. Behind every claim is a person or family facing one of life’s hardest situations, whether that’s bereavement, serious illness or being unable to work, with the vast majority of claims being paid.
“Our data shows that claims continue to be driven by mental illness and cancer - two areas which are long-term health priorities for the UK government. Individual protection remains a vital support for people and can make an enormous difference at what is often the most difficult moment in someone’s life.”
| Claim type | Amount paid out | Number of claims paid | Proportion of claims paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Protection | £228.6M | 3,368 | 99.8% |
| Critical Illness | £125.4M | 1,426 | 93.8% |
| Income Protection | £4.6M | 311 | 95.4% |
| Multi-Fracture Cover | £1.9M | 453 | 97.4% |
| Children's Cover | £1.7M | 71 | 93.4% |
| Terminal Illness | £29.9M | 203 | 90.6% |
Life Insurance
Analysis of claims data shows that nearly all life insurance claims were paid (99.8%), amounting to £228.6 million. With payments to nearly 3,400 beneficiaries of customers with life insurance, the total amount paid out is up from £220.2 million in 2024.
Terminal illness payments also increased in value - £29.9 million was paid out for 203 claims in 2025 compared to £23.5 million for 199 claims in 2024. 90.6% of all terminal claims were paid.
Critical Illness
Nearly 94% of critical illness claims were paid last year – this represents 1,426 claims worth £125.4 million. This is a 20% value increase compared to 2024, when 1,352 claims were paid out to the value of £109.7 million. The main reasons customers make a claim on their critical illness policy have remained the same; cancer (64%), cardiovascular (14%) and cerebrovascular (8%) which includes a stroke.
A total of £1.7 million was paid out for 71 children’s cover claims, with 93.4% of all claims being accepted. Zurich overhauled its proposition in 2023 in order to offer highly modular and flexible options. The main reasons for claims in 2025 were cancer (53%), benign tumours (16%) and cardiovascular illnesses (11%).
A further 453 people benefited from payments of over £1.9 million for claims for fracture cover – a policy add-on launched in 2018. The most common claim reasons were knee ligament tears (19%) and lower leg/ankle fractures (14%). This is an increase from 2024, in which 404 claims were paid at a value of £1.7 million.
Income Protection
The majority (95.4%) of income protection claims were paid with £4.6 million worth of benefits issued to those who are unable to work because of an illness or injury. A total of 311 claims were paid for a variety of reasons including mental illness (28%), neurological disorders and neurotrauma (18%) and musculoskeletal (16%). Zurich enhanced its income protection offering in 2025, introducing broader coverage and greater clarity for claiming customers as well as rehabilitation solutions to support recovery and return to work.
Notes to editors
Claims admitted from 1st January to 31st December 2025