Suicide tops unnatural death claims in Discovery Life’s 2024 report

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Suicide claims among people aged 41 to 60 reached alarming highs in 2024, with financial pressure cited as a key factor.

Discovery Life’s policy payout data for 2024 shows that suicide is the biggest cause of unnatural deaths among its clients, the rate higher than that for road accidents and even crime.

Suicide accounts for 35% of unnatural deaths in policy claims, followed by road accidents at 23% and crime at 17%.

Sadly, it is people who should be in the prime of their lives – between the ages of 41 to 60 – where suicide claims the most lives.

In the 31 to 40 age group, suicide is second only to vehicle accidents as a cause of unnatural deaths.

Discovery’s report saw the increase in suicides continuing, with financial problems cited as the reason for suicide among older people between the ages of 41 and 60, where suicide topped the reason for death at 45%.

Unnatural deaths account for one in five claims

One in five of the death claims Discovery Life received last year were due to unnatural causes, with the largest component attributed to suicide at a staggering 35%, followed by vehicle accidents at 23%, compared to the figures for the last five years.

Suicide cases increased by 62% in 2024 compared to the previous five years in people older than 50.

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Discovery Life paid out R11.5 billion to clients in 2024 according to its 2024 claims experience report, with R6.85 billion in individual life insurance claims, R2.4 billion in shared-value payments [rewards for healthy behaviour] and R2.3 billion in group risk claims.

Sylvia Steyn, head of claims at Discovery Life, said in 2024 99.3% of all claims were paid out.

“Within the remaining 0.7%, 0.4% of claims were repudiated for nondisclosure, 0.2% for misrepresentation and 0.1% for fraud,” said Steyn.

The report also shows that cancer dominates, but an increase in screening rates affects the early-stage claims trajectory.

The 2024 claims data shows that cancer was the highest cause of death for women (35%), while it was also the most common severe illness for both women (51%) and men (37%) and the most common cause of disability among women (34%) and men (30%).

Compared to 2020, the 2024 Discovery Life data shows significant increases in screening for common cancers, with mammograms up by 14%, colorectal cancer screening 29% higher and 19% more prostate exams, all all-time highs.

Dr Maritha van der Walt, chief medical officer for Discovery Life, said thanks to the increase in screening rates, there has been a 62% increase in early-stage cancer claims compared to 2020’s claims on illness cover.

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“As a proportion of all cancer claims, lower severity claims continue to have an upward trajectory, showing that these cancers continue to be detected earlier.

“While stage 3 and 4 cancers have remained relatively stable over that time, it is in the disability claims for stage 4 cancers where we see incredible benefits of screening, with those claims dropping by 16% since last year.”

She emphasised that early detection remains key to better outcomes.

Screening drives rise in early-stage cancer claims

Data from the Discovery Vitality HealthyFutures model and the US-based Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Programme (Seer), show that on average someone diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer can expect a 96% five-year survival rate.

Seer also found that men who are diagnosed with localised prostate cancer have a 99% fiveyear survival rate.

Cancer and heart and artery conditions were prominent in life cover claims for older age groups but looking at causes of death across all age groups, the 2024 data show deaths occurred for a number of reasons.

The high proportion of unnatural deaths highlights the need for comprehensive life cover for everyone, irrespective of underlying health status or age, Van der Walt said.

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