Global insurance rates continued to decline in the third quarter of this year, down by 5%, marking the ninth consecutive quarter of reductions amid ample capacity across nearly all regions and lines of coverage, according to Marsh’s “Global Insurance Market Index” (GIMI).
Marsh President, Global Placement, Mr John Donnelly, said, “Market conditions remained broadly unchanged, with continued rate pressure across much of the market. A benign US hurricane season contributed to favourable underwriting results, helping sustain capacity and high levels of competition across much of the market.
“Reinsurance conditions improved further during the quarter with strong insurer results and more favourable reinsurance terms supporting active market participation and adding to the availability of capacity across many lines.”
While pricing continued to ease in many areas, outcomes still varied by line and exposure.
Global financial and professional lines and cyber continued to see rate reductions, although the pace of decline was generally more moderate than that experienced in late 2025 and early 2026, suggesting a degree of stabilisation following a period of sharper decreases.
Casualty rates registered the only global rise, driven by rate increases in the US, which continues to stand apart from the global casualty market, amid continued litigation and large settlements. Conditions elsewhere remained steady.
Global property rates, which saw the largest decline across major lines of coverage, were influenced by the timing of catastrophe-exposed renewals; limited renewal activity among major wind-exposed accounts tempered the pace of property rate reductions.
Geopolitical uncertainty and broader economic concerns remain part of the operating environment, and many buyers were more inclined to retain premium savings rather than reinvest them in additional coverage. The current environment, however, continues to present opportunities for insureds to enhance their programme structures.
The report shows that all regions (US, Asia, Canada, Europe, the UK, Latin America, Pacific, IMEA), saw a fall in composite insurance rates in the third quarter. The US dipped the least, by 1%, while IMEA dropped the most, by 14%. M