Home Life insurance Best life insurance companies The 10 largest life insurance companies The 10 largest life insurance companies The 10 biggest life insurance companies wrote nearly 47% of all life insurance premiums in the U.S. New York Life topped the list as the single largest insurer. View Carriers Please enter valid zip Compare top carriers in your area Written by Alisha AmbreAlisha AmbreAlisha Ambre holds a Bachelor of Arts with honours in English Literature and Media Studies. She focuses on crafting clear, engaging content that makes complex information feel practical and approachable for everyday readers. When she’s not writing, she’s likely on the volleyball court or immersed in a good video game.VIEW FULL PROFILE | Reviewed by Nupur GambhirNupur GambhirEditor-in-ChiefNupur Gambhir is the editor-in-chief of Insure.com and a licensed life, health and disability insurance agent in New York with seven years of experience covering insurance. Her expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Balance, The Financial Gym and MSN. She holds a BA in Economics from The Ohio State University.VIEW FULL PROFILESee moreSee less | Updated onSeptember 2, 2026 Why you can trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing the timely, accurate and expert information consumers need to make smart insurance decisions. All our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. Our team carefully vets our rate data to ensure we only provide reliable and up-to-date insurance pricing. For a deeper dive into our process, see our complete methodology. We follow the highest editorial standards. Our content is based solely on objective research and data gathering. We maintain strict editorial independence to ensure unbiased coverage of the insurance industry. Direct premiums written is the amount of life insurance a company sells on its own before passing any of the risk to a reinsurer. Regulators and the industry use it to measure size, so it’s the number ranking these companies. Size matters when it comes to ensuring your beneficiaries receive the life insurance death benefit. A large insurer holds deeper reserves and a longer claims-paying record, which matters because your policy has to outlast you. Big carriers also tend to sell a wider range of policy types and riders, since a broad product line is part of how they got large. However, size doesn’t tell you how a company will underwrite you. Every insurer sets its own rules on health conditions, hobbies and driving records, and the same applicant can land in different rate classes at different companies regardless of how big they are. Get quotes from at least three life insurance companies before you apply, and check each one’s AM Best financial strength rating — that’s the measure of whether a company can pay claims, and a mid-sized carrier can rate as highly as a household name. Before you buy, follow these four steps: Compare at least three insurers. The first insurer you find is rarely the best deal. Rates and terms can vary a lot for the same coverage. Calculate the right coverage amount. Don’t guess. Base it on your income, debts and what your family would actually need. Check financial strength ratings. Look up AM Best, S&P, or Moody’s ratings before you commit. Look for personal experiences. Read reviews or ask people you trust about their actual claims experience, not just marketing. What are the 10 largest life insurance companies? According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), New York Life is the largest life insurance company by direct premiums written, followed by Northwestern Mutual, MetLife, Prudential and Lincoln Financial. RankCompanyDirect premiums writtenTypes of life insurance coverage offered1New York Life$15.6 billionTerm, whole, universal, variable universal2Northwestern Mutual$14.2 billionTerm, whole, universal, variable universal3MetLife$13.0 billionTerm, whole, universal, variable universal4Prudential$12.5 billionTerm, universal, indexed universal, variable universal, indexed variable universal, final expense5Lincoln Financial$9.2 billionTerm, indexed universal, variable universal6MassMutual$9.2 billionTerm, whole, universal, variable universal7Nationwide$7.2 billionTerm, whole, universal, indexed universal, variable universal8Pacific Life$7.0 billionTerm, universal, indexed universal, variable universal9State Farm$6.1 billionTerm, whole, universal10Guardian Life$5.5 billionTerm, whole, universal, variable universal Powered by: How are the largest life insurance companies ranked? The companies on this list are ranked by direct premiums written, the amount of life insurance premium a company or group writes directly, before any reinsurance is factored in. This number also determines each company’s market share, so rank and market share move together on this list. This is a measure of size, not a measure of quality. Direct premiums written and market share tell you how much business a company wrote and how much of the industry it controls. They don’t tell you how strong that company’s finances are, how satisfied its customers are, or how good its policies are. Does choosing a large life insurance company matter? a large insurer has the reserves and the investment discipline to pay a claim decades from now, which is what you’re buying when the policy has to outlast you. Paul LaPiana, head of MMUS product at MassMutual, ties that to capital access — insurers need it, he says, to stay financially strong and secure and to keep serving customers. Size doesn’t tell you how a company will underwrite you, what it charges or how it handles a claim. The same applicant can land in different rate classes at different insurers regardless of company size, and a mid-sized carrier can carry the same AM Best rating as a household name. Get quotes from at least three companies and compare their financial strength ratings rather than their premium volume. Don’t choose a life insurer just because it’s big Check each company’s AM Best financial strength rating and its NAIC complaint index. The rating tells you whether it can pay a claim in 30 years, and the complaint index shows how often policyholders have had trouble collecting — two things premium volume doesn’t measure. 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You should consider life insurance companies based on financial strength, premiums, coverage options, underwriting, customer service and policy features that fit your financial needs. Financial strength. Ratings from AM Best, NAIC and S&P show how likely a company is to pay claims decades from now. Price. Premiums vary by company for the same coverage. Get quotes from more than one insurer before you decide. Coverage options. Term, whole, universal and variable universal policies work differently. Match the type to what you actually need. Underwriting. Some companies require a medical exam, while others offer no-exam policies that can approve you in days on your prescription and driving records instead. Customer experience. Claims handling and service quality vary by company. Check J.D. Power scores and complaint indexes before you buy. Policy flexibility. Some policies let you adjust premiums or death benefits over time. Others lock you into fixed terms. Conversion options. Term policies that convert to permanent coverage give you a way to extend protection later without new medical underwriting. Run the same coverage amount and term length through two or three insurers before you commit. A $500,000, 20-year term policy can cost noticeably different amounts from company to company, even among top 10 insurers. When should you shop with smaller life insurance companies or credit unions? Smaller life insurers and credit unions make sense when you want personalized service, flexible underwriting or coverage built for a specific group, even if they don’t have the same name recognition as the top 10. Big companies aren’t the only option. A smaller insurer or credit union can beat a top 10 company on service, price or fit, depending on what you need. You want a more personalized experience. Smaller insurers often connect you with agents who take the time to understand your situation instead of pushing a standard policy. You’re in a specific profession or group. Some smaller companies and credit unions build policies for teachers, military members or specific industries. That often means better rates and coverage designed around your job. You need flexible underwriting. If you have a health condition or other risk factor that larger insurers decline, a regional or specialized insurer may still cover you. You want competitive pricing. Credit unions and mutual insurers sometimes beat large companies on premiums, especially for members. You prefer a member-owned company. Many smaller insurers and credit unions are member-owned. Profits go back into policyholder benefits instead of shareholder payouts. Check the company’s financial strength rating and customer reviews before you commit. A small insurer can offer great service and pricing, but you still need proof they’ll be around to pay claims when the time comes. Frequently Asked Questions What does direct premiums written mean? Direct premiums written is the amount of life insurance a company sells on its own, before it passes any of the risk to a reinsurer. It measures how much business a company wrote, not how financially strong it is or how well it treats policyholders. Is a bigger life insurance company always better? The largest insurers hold deep reserves and long claims-paying records, but size tells you nothing about what they’ll charge you or how they’ll underwrite your health. Compare AM Best ratings and quotes from at least three companies instead of ranking by premium volume. How do you check a life insurance company’s financial strength? Look up its rating with AM Best, S&P or Moody’s, all of which publish ratings free online. Also check the company’s NAIC complaint index, where 1.0 is the industry average and a higher number means more complaints relative to the company’s size. × Get Free Life Insurance Quotes Today! Zip Code Please enter valid zip Age Age16 – 2021 – 2425 – 3435 – 4445 – 5455 – 6465+ Coverage Amount Coverage AmountUnder $50,000$50,000 – $100,000$100,000 – $200,000$200,000 – $300,000$400,000 – $500,000$500,000 – $1,000,000$1,000,000 – $2,000,000$2,000,000 – $5,000,000$5,000,000+ Coverage Type Coverage TypeWhole LifeTerm LifeFinal ExpenseNot Sure Gender GenderMaleFemaleNon-Binary Tobacco Use Yes No Compare Quotes Alisha Ambre . .Alisha Ambre holds a Bachelor of Arts with honours in English Literature and Media Studies. She focuses on crafting clear, engaging content that makes complex information feel practical and approachable for everyday readers. When she’s not writing, she’s likely on the volleyball court or immersed in a good video game. Related Articles Term life insurance cost: By coverage level and smoker status By Alisha Ambre Term Life Insurance Index: Online sellers drive term life growth in the second quarter By Nupur Gambhir How much life insurance do you need? By Alisha Ambre How to read your life insurance policy By Alisha Ambre Mortgage protection insurance: Who needs it and why By Alisha Ambre How much is a $500,000 life insurance policy? By Maryalene LaPonsie On this page What are the 10 largest life insurance companies?How are the largest life insurance companies ranked?Does choosing a large life insurance company matter?What should you consider when choosing a life insurance company?When should you shop with smaller life insurance companies or credit unions?Frequently Asked Questions ZIP Code Please enter valid ZIP See rates 1-888-984-2609