Who is the number one insurance company?

1. Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK.A) $308 billion
2. China Life Insurance (LFC) $80  billion
3. Allianz (AZSEY) $76.8 billion
4. American International Group (AIG) $72.3 billion
5. Ping An of China (PNGAY) $65.6 billion
6. MetLife (MET) $59.4 billion
7. AXA ( AXA) $57.8 billion
8. AIA Group Hong Kong (AAIGF) $54.4 billion
9. ING Groep (ING) $54.4 billion
10. Zurich Insurance (ZURVY) $45.4 Billion
11. (Source: Thompson Reuters)

1. United Healthcare (UNH) $91.8 billion
2. Wellpoint ( WLP) $34.3 billion
3. Aetna (AET) $29.8 billion
4. CIGNA Corp. (CI) $26.8 billion
5. Humana (HUM) $21.1 billion
6. Centene Corp. (CNC) $5.7 billion
7. Health Net, Inc. (HNT) $3.9 billion
8. WellCare Health Plans (WCG) $3.1 billion
9. Healthspring ( HS) $3.7 billion
10. Molina Healthcare (MOH) $2.4 billion
11. (Source: Thompson Reuters)

1. State Farm Group $64.6 billion
2. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) $46.0 billion 
3. Allstate Insurance Group (ALL) $30.6 billion 
4. Liberty Mutual $28.6 billion 
5. Progressive Insurance Group (PGR) $27.1 billion 
6. Travelers Group (TRV) $24.5 billion 
7. USAA Group $19.6 billion
8. Nationwide Group $18.8 billion
9. Farmers Insurance Group $14.3 billion 
10. American International Group (AIG) $14.2 billion 

1. Metropolitan Group (MET) $12.6 billion 7.87%
2. Northwestern Mutual $10.1 billion 6.29% 
3. New York Life Group $8.8 billion 5.48%
4. Prudential of America (PRU) $8.6 billion 5.33%
5. Lincoln National $6.9 billion 4.30%
6. MassMutual $6.6 billion 4.15%
7. Aegon (AEG) $4.6 billion 2.90%
8. John Hancock $4.4 billion 2.84%
9. State Farm $4.0 billion 2.73%
10. Guardian Life Insurance Co. $3.8 billion 2.38%

(Source: NAIC)Insurance Companies By The Metrics There are a number of ways to rank the size of insurance companies. Companies can be measured by their market capitalization (the value of the company on a stock exchange) or by using sales figures, such as net premiums written in a year or how many policies were sold. KEY TAKEAWAYS Insurance companies are important players in the global financial economy, although they may not be as flashy as investment banks or hedge funds. Insurance companies come in many sizes and specialize in different policy lines, from health to life to property & casualty. Here we compare some of the largest insurers by market cap and by premium sales. Largest by Market Capitalization Investors can buy shares of publicly traded companies in the insurance industry. The largest insurance companies as of 2018 by market capitalization on the world stock exchanges were: Non-health Insurance Companies: Company Name Market Capitalization Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK.A) $308 billion China Life Insurance (LFC) $80 billion Allianz (AZSEY) $76.8 billion American International Group (AIG) $72.3 billion Ping An of China (PNGAY) $65.6 billion MetLife (MET) $59.4 billion AXA ( AXA) $57.8 billion AIA Group Hong Kong (AAIGF) $54.4 billion ING Groep (ING) $54.4 billion Zurich Insurance (ZURVY) $45.4 Billion (Source: Thompson Reuters) Health Insurance and Managed Health Care Companies: United Healthcare (UNH) $91.8 billion Wellpoint ( WLP) $34.3 billion Aetna (AET) $29.8 billion CIGNA Corp. (CI) $26.8 billion Humana (HUM) $21.1 billion Centene Corp. (CNC) $5.7 billion Health Net, Inc. (HNT) $3.9 billion WellCare Health Plans (WCG) $3.1 billion Healthspring ( HS) $3.7 billion Molina Healthcare (MOH) $2.4 billion (Source: Thompson Reuters) Not all insurance companies are publicly traded. In fact, many insurers are structured as mutual companies where policy holders of participating policies are essentially partial owners of the company. The mutual company model for an insurance company dates back hundred of years, and there are certain benefits conferred on policyholders that do not exist with publicly traded (stock company) insurers. Largest Insurance Companies by Sales and Product Line It is useful to differentiate between the type of insurance, or line, that is being considered when considering the largest insurance companies. Using sales data is helpful as some of the largest insurance companies in the United States are not publicly traded and therefore their market value is not easily ascertained. Property & Casualty Property casualty insurers write policies covering property such as real estate, dwellings, cars and other vehicles. They also write policies dealing with liabilities that may be incurred by accident or negligence related to those properties to defray the cost of lawsuits or medical damages resulting from such incidents. The top U.S. property casualty companies in 2018 by net premiums written (the amount of money that non-life policies can expect to receive over the life of the contract, less commissions and costs) are: State Farm Group $64.6 billion Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) $46.0 billion Allstate Insurance Group (ALL) $30.6 billion Liberty Mutual $28.6 billion Progressive Insurance Group (PGR) $27.1 billion Travelers Group (TRV) $24.5 billion USAA Group $19.6 billion Nationwide Group $18.8 billion Farmers Insurance Group $14.3 billion American International Group (AIG) $14.2 billion (Source A.M. Best) Life Insurance Companies Life Insurance companies promise to pay out a lump sum benefit upon the death of the insured. Although actuarial science has created mortality tables to accurately estimate the future liability of policies to be paid, having financial strength ensures that these companies can meet all of their obligations while still earning a profit. Life Insurance companies in the U.S. can be ranked by direct premium written (the amount of new policies written directly and not re-insured). For 2018: Company Total Direct Premium Market Share Metropolitan Group (MET) $12.6 billion 7.87% Northwestern Mutual $10.1 billion 6.29% New York Life Group $8.8 billion 5.48% Prudential of America (PRU) $8.6 billion 5.33% Lincoln National $6.9 billion 4.30% MassMutual $6.6 billion 4.15% Aegon (AEG) $4.6 billion 2.90% John Hancock $4.4 billion 2.84% State Farm $4.0 billion 2.73% Guardian Life Insurance Co. $3.8 billion 2.38% (Source: NAIC)