Scottish Widows paid £219 million in life and critical illness claims in 2025, supporting 10,967 customers and their families in the last year.
New data from the insurer showed that it paid 99% of life insurance claims in 2025, with £127 million paid. For critical illness claims, more than nine in 10 were paid during the year (91.9%), with £92 million paid to customers.
People aged 40 and under accounted for £23 million in claims paid, including £22 million to those aged between 21 and 40. The youngest claimant was aged 27 for life cover and 23 for critical illness.
Scottish Widows includes children’s cover as standard on policies, enabling customers to access protection for families without additional cover. In 2025, £890,000 was paid in child critical illness claims.
Top causes of claims
Cancer remained the most common cause of critical illness claims, accounting for 63% of cases, followed by heart attack (11%) and stroke (9%). However, for women, cancer was behind 78% of critical illness claims, with 4.7% paid for stroke and 4.3% for heart attack. This is while half of critical illness claims reported by men were for cancer (52.4%), one in seven (15%) for heart attack and over one in ten for stroke (9.9%).
Main causes of life insurance claims also included cancer (30%), with heart attack accounting for one in five (16%) and respiratory (12%) claims. Cancer was the main cause of death in over a third (34.6%) of claims for women, respiratory issues at almost 17% and heart at 10%. However, 28.5% of male life insurance claims were for cancer, 20% for heart and accidents 8% for accidents.
Almost half (46.4%) of Critical Illness claims for cancer in 21-40 year olds were for either breast or testicular cancer.
Value added benefits
Additional support is offered alongside the claims process through Scottish Widows Care, which gives customers access to nurse support through RedArc, 24/7 virtual GP services provided by Square Health and access to Macmillan Cancer Support for people affected by cancer and their families.
David Russell, Claims Strategy Manager at Scottish Widows, said: “People rely on protection to be there when it matters most, often at some of life’s most difficult moments. Paying 99% of life and critical illness claims shows how seriously we take that responsibility, helping to ease financial pressure when families need clarity and support. Cancer continues to be the leading cause of claims, reflecting the reality that it touches so many lives, and our research with Macmillan shows the number of people living with cancer in the UK is expected to rise significantly by 2045.
No two experiences are the same, but having protection in place can help remove money worries at an already difficult time and provide a vital financial safety net if the worst happens. We also know support goes beyond the financial, which is why we work with partners such as RedArc, Macmillan Cancer Support and Square Health to provide practical, emotional and medical support throughout the claims journey.”
Life claims: key statistics
- The total amount paid out in life claims in 2025 was £127 million
- Cancer claims made up the largest percentage of life claims (30%); this was followed by heart attack (16%) and respiratory (12%).
- 34.6% of all life insurance claims among women were as a result of death from cancer, compared with 28.5% of men
- Heart-related claims accounted for 20% of cases for men and almost 10% of cases for women
- The average life claim paid was £57,115, and the highest individual claim paid was £1.3m
Critical illness claims: key statistics
- The total amount paid out in critical illness claims was £92 million in 2025
- Cancer claims made up the largest percentage of claims (63% of all cases); this was followed by heart attack (11%) and stroke (9%).
- Among men 52.4% of claims made were for cancer, heart attack (15%) and stroke (9.9%)
- Among women, 78% of critical illness claims were for cancer, stroke (4.7%) and heart attack (4.3%)
- The average critical illness claim paid was £60,611 and the highest individual claim paid was £1.1m
