2011-12-15
By staff reporter
Swiss Re estimates that total insured losses for the global insurance industry from both natural catastrophes and man-made disasters reached US$108bn in 2011. This is more than double the figure they calculated in 2010 of US$48bn. Further, claims from natural catastrophes alone reached US$103bn in 2011, compared to only US$43bn last year.
In 2011, total economic losses to society (both insured and uninsured) due to disasters reached an estimated US$350bn, compared to US$226bn in 2010. The earthquake in Japan accounts for most of this year’s economic losses. More than 30,000 people lost their lives due to catastrophes in the first eleven months of the year, most of them in Japan.
“2011 is going down as another year of very tragic and costly earthquakes. Unfortunately earthquake insurance coverage is still quite low, even in some industrialised countries with high seismic risk, like Japan," says Kurt Karl, Swiss Re’s chief economist. "So on top of people losing their loved ones, societies are faced with enormous financial losses that have to be borne by either corporations, relief organisations or governments and, ultimately, taxpayers.”
With approximately US$108bn in insured catastrophe losses, 2011 ranks as nearly the most expensive year for the insurance industry according to Swiss Re’s sigma records, second only to 2005 (US$123bn). Moderate hurricane losses have kept costs lower than in 2005, the year when hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Rita alone caused claims of over US$100bn.
If Japan had been as well insured as other countries with high seismic risk, such as New Zealand, the overall industry tally would have been much higher. Even so, in terms of catastrophe claims, 2011 ranks as the second costliest year in history for the insurance industry. Additional claims from the ongoing massive floods in Thailand or from winter storms which may yet hit Europe have the potential to bring figures for the full year even closer to the record claims of US$123bn experienced in 2005.
In addition to the earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand, severe flooding in Thailand and Australia triggered above US$10bn in insurance claims. Two massive tornado events in the United States caused nearly US$14bn in claims and the loss of more than 400 lives. Hurricane Irene cost the industry nearly US$5bn in property damage.
At more than US$47bn, earthquake-insured claims for 2011 are the highest ever recorded. Japan’s earthquake was the largest known – in terms of magnitude – to have ever hit the country, costing the insurance industry an estimated US$35bn. However, the insured losses were only a fraction of the total losses. Estimated to be at least US$210bn, the total economic losses are likely to be much higher once damage to nuclear facilities and disruption to worldwide supply chains are included. By way of comparison, the earthquake which hit New Zealand in February caused economic losses of US$15bn. However, thanks to high earthquake insurance penetration rates, particularly in residential properties, the insurance industry will pay most of the losses.
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