Royal London paid 98.4% of all protection claims made in 2025 supporting 62,412 customers, with a record total of £821m paid due to the inclusion of Aegon claims.
This compares with £751m across 65,385 successful claims in 2024 when 98.7% of protection claims were approved.
This is the first full year of claims following the transfer of Aegon’s individual protection portfolio.
Overall term-life claims value increased by 32% and terminal illness claims value by 17% year-on-year.
Life
In 2025, Royal London paid £326m in term-life and terminal-illness claims, with average pay outs of £85,437 for life and £133,238 for terminal illness.
This compared with £270m in the previous year.
More than £258m was paid in term life claims in 2025 to 3,021 families, with an average £85,437 pay out and 94.2% of claims approved.
The largest pay out was £2m, while the average age of a term life claimant was 62.
For whole of life, 99.9% of claims were paid out in 2025, with £282.2m paid out to 53,884 families, with an average pay out of £52,237.
The largest payment was £9m and the average age of claimant was 78.
When it comes to terminal illness claims, more than £68m was paid out over the year to 511 families, with an average pay out of £133,238 and 84.7% of claims paid.
The youngest terminal illness customer in 2025 was 29, while the oldest was 87.
Critical illness
Turning to critical illness, £198m was paid in critical illness claims to 2,959 customers, with an average payment of £67,000 and 89.3% claims approval rate.
Cancer accounted for 64% of claims, followed by heart attack (9%) and stroke (8%).
This compared with more than £180m in 2024 paid to 2,675 customers and their families, with an average payment of more than £67,000.
In 2024, 89.7% of CI claims were approved, a slight drop from the 90.5% approved in 2023.
The most common conditions clients claimed for in 2024 were cancer (64%), heart attack (10%) and stroke (9%).
Income protection
When it comes income protection (IP), £9.6m was paid out in claims, supporting 1,308 customers, with 85.2% of claims approved which includes those claims already in payment.
This compares to more than £8m paid to 1,259 customers in 2024 who were unable to work, with 86.8% of IP claims approved.
The average age of income protection claimant in 2025 was 37, while the average length of time a claim was paid was one year and 11 months, with a longest claim of 23 years and four months.
Helping Hand
Demand for Royal London’s Helping Hand service continued to grow, with GP appointments rising 21% year-on-year and a 12% increase in customers accessing RedArc nurse support, providing practical and emotional support to 1,093 customers and their families.
In 2025, the youngest claimant was 19 and the oldest 102.
Craig Paterson, chief underwriter at Royal London, (pictured) said: “We support customers at some of the most difficult moments in their lives, and that’s about far more than simply paying a claim, it’s about being clear, fair and compassionate every step of the way.
“Our claims figures underline why protection matters. When the unexpected happens, having cover in place can make a real difference, and features like free cover help make sure customers are protected from day one, giving them confidence we’ll be there when it matters most.”