Nairobi, Sept. 4 -- Kenya's insurance penetration climbed to an eight-year high of 2.63 percent last year, lifted by a sharp rise in life insurance premiums that saw long-term covers overtake general insurance for the first time.

The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) data shows that insurance penetration, measured by premiums as a share of gross domestic product (GDP), rose from 2.45 percent in 2024.

This marked the fifth consecutive annual increase and put the indicator at its highest level since 2017 when it stood at 2.68 percent.

The sustained growth has been supported by life insurance, whose pace of growth has been above that of short-term covers over the past nine years. Between 2016 and 2025, life insurance premiums more than...