Asians are becoming older and richer, which should mean plenty of business for insurers. Age, after all, increases the need for health insurance; wealth brings property to protect. The region's middle class is expected to balloon from 525m in 2009 to 3.2 billion by 2030, according to BGG, a consultancy. Household wealth will double over the coming decade, from $81 trillion today to $174 trillion by 2025. Thanks to increased life expectancy, the region's army of pensioners will grow rapidly, especially in China, which already has 132m people over the age of 65. Rich-country diseases are proliferating too: by 2030 half of the world's new cancer cases will be in Asia and, according to Swiss Re, a reinsurer, non-communicable chronic conditions such as heart disease could account for 67% of deaths in India.
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