The mainland Chinese insurance industry recorded original insurance premium income of CNY3.86tn ($569.5bn) for the first half of this year, up by 3.24% year-on-year, according to data published by the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA).
Life insurance companies reported original premiums totalling CNY2.87tn in the first half of this year, representing growth of 3.65%.
Property insurers generated CNY984.6bn ($145.4bn) in original premium income in the first half of 2026, up by 2.08% year-on-year, official data indicate.
China's rapidly expanding online insurance revenue has accounted for over 60% of total premium income for the first time. Industry data show China's online insurance premiums grew by more than 25% in 2025, with digital channels accounting for 63% of premium income, making the Internet the country's primary insurance sales channel.
China's health insurance market is undergoing a fundamental transformation, with commercial medical insurance surpassing critical illness insurance to become the country's largest health insurance segment.
Critical illness insurance continued to account for more than half of claim payouts by China's major life insurers in the first half of 2026, with cancer remaining by far the leading cause of claims, according to newly released claims reports.
The total number of MDRT members in mainland China was 7,694 as of 1 July 2026, almost halved from 12 months previously, representing a drop of 48.5% or 7,251, according to information from the Million Dollar Round Table, a global independent association representing premier financial professionals and life insurance advisors.
China has established a new property and casualty insurer as part of its latest effort to resolve risks at a financially troubled insurance company, continuing a regulatory approach that transfers business to newly created entities while winding down financially-stricken insurers.
Guangzhou-headquartered Pearl River Life has been engaged in risk resolution efforts, highlighted by a recent announcement about changes in shareholdings.
China's life insurance product pricing is set to remain stable to the end of this year, following an announcement by the Insurance Association of China (IAC).