Life insurance: The French paid a record 15.4 billion euros in September

Savings continue to flow. Life insurance recorded 15.4 billion euros in payments in September 2026, 2% more than a year earlier and a record for this month. According to figures published on October 29 by France Assureurs, services have however progressed more quickly. Net collection remains largely positive, at 4.1 billion euros, compared to 4.3 billion in September 2025.

Key Points

Payments have reached 154.2 billion euros since January, their highest level over nine months since 2006.

Cumulative net collection amounts to 47.6 billion euros, including 36.7 billion on units of account.

The total outstanding contracts reached 2,161 billion euros at the end of September.

Insurance PERs also recorded an increase in their contributions in the third quarter.

Life insurance attracts more payouts despite higher benefits

Over the first nine months of 2026, contributions increase by 7%, or an additional 9.5 billion euros compared to the same period of 2025. This increase concerns funds in euros as well as units of account.

At the same time, benefits paid by insurers reached 106.6 billion euros, an increase of 3%. They include in particular redemptions made by savers and capital paid to beneficiaries after death: they are therefore not only voluntary withdrawals.

The difference between receipts and these services constitutes the net collection. Since January, it has reached 47.6 billion euros, or 6.7 billion more than a year earlier.

Outstanding contracts thus stood at 2,161 billion euros at the end of September, up 4.6% year-on-year. This change does not correspond to the return obtained by policyholders: it also reflects new payments, outflows and changes in the value of investments.

Account units account for the majority of net collection

In September, payments on units of account (UC) increased by 7%, while those on euro supports remained stable. UC represent 37% of monthly contributions and 39% since the start of the year.

Their weight appears even greater in net collection: they concentrate 36.7 billion euros over nine months, compared to 10.9 billion for funds in euros, or more than three quarters of the total.

This distribution does not mean that all savers favor risk. Euro funds retain the majority of new payments. UCs allow you to invest in stocks, bonds or real estate, but their value fluctuates and their capital is not guaranteed. The guarantees of funds in euros depend on the conditions of the contract.

Retirement savings also continue to grow. In the third quarter, insurance PERs received 3.3 billion euros in contributions excluding transfers, an increase of 9%, for 180,600 new subscriptions. They bring together 8.5 million policyholders and 127.5 billion euros in outstandings at the end of September.