Longevity Insurance: A Missing Market

More than half of the worlds old live in Asia, and around 35 per cent in India and China alone. As demographic transition proceeds regionally and globally, the development of a robust and reliable longevity insurance market will become essential. Although the need for such insurance is most pressing in Asia, longevity risk is poorly managed practically everywhere. This paper reviews theory and practice relating to longevity risk and insurance, amid a rapidly changing demographic and policy landscape. It analyses the reasons for the failure of longevity insurance markets, and examines possible innovations in both markets and public policy that may lead to a more vibrant market and a greater variety of longevity insurance products. These include risk sharing between the buyer and seller, deductibles, reverse mortgages, and securitisation.