For the third month in a row, Canadian life insurance application activity saw double-digit growth, with Year-over-Year (YOY) activity up +16.3 in April 2026 compared to April 2025. On a Year-to-Date (YTD) basis, April also saw double-digit growth at +15.4%. On a Month-over-Month (MOM) basis, April 2026 was down -3.1% compared to March 2026.

In April 2026, ages 30+ experienced YOY growth, in the double digits for ages 50-69 and triple digits for ages 70+, and ages 0-29 saw declines. April YOY activity for ages 0-29 was down -5.5%, ages 30-39 up +5.3%, ages 40-49 up at +8.6%, ages 50-59 up +12.5%, ages 60-69 up +50.2%, and ages 70+ up +109.7%. These results are reflective of a consistent pattern seen since May 2025 where growth increases as age increases.

Based on data reported to MIB by our members, April 2026 saw YOY growth for all face amounts, in the double digits for face amounts from $1 up to but not including $500K. When including age bands, ages 0-29 saw growth for face amounts from $500K up to but not including $1M, double-digit growth for amounts $5M and over, and declines for all other face amounts. Ages 30-39 saw growth for amounts from $1 up to but not including $100K and face amounts $250K and over, in the double digits for amounts from $500K up to but not including $1M and for amounts $5M and over, and declines for amounts over $100K up to but not including $250K. Ages 40-49 saw double-digit growth for face amounts from $1 up to but not including $1M, growth for amounts from $2.5M up to but not including $5M, flat activity for amounts from $1M up to but not including $2.5M, and double-digit declines for amounts $5M and over. Ages 50-59 declines for amounts from $2.5M up to but not including $5M, and growth for all other face amounts, in the double digits for amounts from $1 up to but not including $500K. Ages 60-69 saw declines for amounts from $2.5M up to but not including $5M, and growth for all other face amounts growth for face amounts, in the double digits for amounts from $1 up to but not including $500K and from $1M up to but not including $2.5M. Ages 70+ saw growth for all face amounts, in the double digits for amounts $500K and over, and in the triple digits for amounts from $1 up to but not including $250K.

April 2026 saw YOY double-digit growth for all product types, where this information was reported to MIB by our members. Term Life was up +18.6% YOY, Whole Life was up +19.4%, and Universal Life was up +59.6%. Term Life saw YOY double-digit growth for ages 30+ and flat activity for ages 0-29. Whole Life saw YOY double-digit growth for all ages. Universal Life saw YOY double-digit growth for ages 40-59, triple-digit growth for ages 60+, and declines for ages 0-39, in the double digits for ages 0-29.

Methodology Change for 2026:

MIB has revised our methodology to fine tune our age and face amount bands to better meet industry needs, while also incorporating more precise filtering to isolate new business application activity and define applicant country. Please see the main MIB Life Index page on our website for details on our methodology change. All historical data in this report has been restated based on our new methodology, however, historical reports archived on our website reflect the methodology in place at the time of publication.

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