Scottish Widows paid out 98% of protection claims in 2024, maintaining the same rate for the sixth year.
The insurer paid £236.6m to customers and families, with £141m for life insurance and £95m for critical illness.
More than 11,500 claimants received financial support, including 9,939 life and 1,609 critical illness claims.
A third of all life insurance claims were due to cancer, with deaths from cancer rising by 4% among women to 40.7%, compared to 29% for men.
Men were also twice as likely to die from heart-related issues, at 27%, compared to 13% for women.
Cancer accounted for 64% of all critical illness claims, rising to 75% among women and 53% for men.
The next most common causes were heart attack (10.4%) and stroke (8.6%).
For men, the main cancer claims were for prostate (26%), bowel (12.8%), malignant melanoma (7.5%), Hodgkin’s/lymphoma (7%), and leukaemia (5.4%).
For women, breast cancer made up 51% of cancer-related claims, followed by bowel (9.1%), malignant melanoma (6.3%), ovarian (4.5%), and uterine or cervical (4.3%).
Additionally, Scottish Widows revealed that there was a 32% increase in life claims among 31 to 40-year-olds, mainly due to accidents and cancer, with stroke and heart disease also rising in this group.
For critical illness, the average age was 52 and the youngest adult claimant was 25, and the youngest child was 15 days old.
In 2024, 28% of users received cancer support and 13% got help for mental health.
With RedArc, 83% with severe anxiety and depression improved to moderate or less within three months.
About 7% of referrals were for children and 12% for family members.
Customers also had access to 24/7 digital GP appointments through Clinic in a Pocket by Square Health.
There was a 57% increase in use of this service, with most appointments for skin complaints (15%), cold and flu symptoms (13%), and children’s health (12%).
42% of appointments were booked out of hours, 41% took place between 8pm and 8am, and one in five was on the weekend.
Scott Cadger, head of claims and underwriting strategy at Scottish Widows, said: “We continue to support our customers and their loved ones while they’re going through a very difficult time by providing the financial safety net they trusted us with when they chose a Scottish Widows policy.
“We’re also there for advisers who continue to see the benefit of our comprehensive product suite and digital enhancements so that they can always see the best possible outcomes for their clients.
“Year on year we deliver on our promise consistently paying out 98% of claims, now for the sixth year in a row.”
Cadger added: “This year we have seen a concerning rise in the prevalence of cancer, with a substantial rise in the number of claims paid for cancer-related causes both in life and critical illness.
“That’s why we will continue to work with our partners Macmillan, RedArc and SquareHealth to offer industry-leading support and care to our customers, so they can focus on what really matters during life’s unexpected twists and turns.”
