International Research Reports
If you’re looking for research projects and reports on international topics, you’ve come to the right place. The SOA offers research, authored by an individual or a team of authors, for download in just a few clicks.
2024
- Insurance Demand Trends in Asia Pacific Markets
November
Discover how technology is reshaping consumer behaviors in the Asia Pacific Markets.
2023
- Market Readiness of Long-Term Care Products in Asia-Pacific Markets
- December
The purpose of this study is to provide valuable insights and recommendations for insurance companies that are considering entering the market of commercial long-term care insurance (LTCI) in the Asia-Pacific markets, based on individual health status. This study reviews the development of LTCI in the main markets in Asia-Pacific, drawing conclusions about market experiences and offering inspiration for product development. - Guide to Domestic and International Paid Family and Medical Leave Programs
- June
- The SOA Research Institute along with the International Section, and the Social Insurance and Public Finance Section are pleased to make available a research report that compares international and domestic mandated paid family and medical leave programs..
- ESG for the Insurance and Pension Industry in Asia Pacific Markets
- April
- ESG is the abbreviation of Environmental, Social and Governance, which has become an increasingly popular concept in the capital markets across the globe. Although definitions on ESG vary slightly according to different sources, the general understandings are similar. Environmental refers to issues related to the planet, such as climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection; Social focuses on issues around societal problems, such as gender inequality; Governance puts emphasis on building and maintaining a sound corporate governance system.
2022
- Inspiring Actuarial Education through Learning Communities and Research Experiences
October
This project pertained to the development of a new Actuarial Science Learning Community model, involving four types of students' engagement: academic coursework, residential life, research, and professional development. The model provided students an immersive exposure to Data Science from the Actuarial perspective, which will result in Actuarial students greatly expanding their skill set and future job opportunities, at the intersection of Actuarial Science and Data Science. - Analyzing Geographical Variation in Cause-of-Death Mortality for China
September
This report models and forecasts future mortality improvements in China, by geographical regions, as well as by causes of death. Deaths and population exposures data provided by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention was used for the period 2004–2019. - India: Growth Opportunities on the Rise
September
The Indian market holds tremendous potential for insurance products, especially in segments that remain untapped. The market is evolving in terms of market penetration, product innovation, regulatory changes, government initiatives, capital adequacy and customer experience. In this report, we have highlighted insurance trends in India based on insights gathered from practitioners' interviews, available research and literature, with a particular focus on the enterprise risk management (ERM) function of insurance companies. - China: An Era of Insurance Innovation
July
The Chinese insurance market is grappling with product innovation, business growth and regulatory oversight as it tries to keep pace with a sharp growth in demand across product segments. In this context, the authors have highlighted insurance trends in China, based on available research and literature, with a particular focus on topics that will drive the enterprise risk management (ERM) function of insurance companies. - Survey of Emerging Risks in China and Greater Asia
June
In March 2022, the Society of Actuaries (SOA) Research Institute surveyed actuarial and risk management professionals in China and Greater Asia for their opinions on emerging risks in the local market. The results are presented in this inaugural China and Greater Asia survey report which provides a comparison with findings from the North American emerging risks survey, now in its 15th year. - Emerging Technologies and their Impact on Actuarial Science, Simplified Chinese Summary
June
This is a Simplified Chinese Summary of Emerging Technologies and their Impact on Actuarial Science. The Simplified Chinese Summary is the second item under Reports on the report page, under the English version of the report. This report highlights the leading emerging technologies that may significantly affect the actuarial profession over a three-year horizon. - Actuarial Technology, A Roundtable Discussion on Current Issues, Simplified Chinese Summary
June
This is a Simplified Chinese Summary of Actuarial Technology, A Roundtable Discussion on Current Issues. The Simplified Chinese Summary is the second item under Reports on the report page, under the English version of the report. This report summarizes a three-hour meeting of an industry expert panel that discussed current issues in actuarial technology on November 30, 2021. - Keeping Retirement Plans Secure in an Insecure World, Simplified Chinese Summary
April
This is a Simplified Chinese Summary of Keeping Retirement Plans Secure in an Insecure World. The Simplified Chinese Summary is the second item under Materials on the report page, under the English version of the report. This report summarizes a series of interviews with retirement plan recordkeepers and subject matter experts regarding industry practices in financial crimes and fraud prevention. - Variable Uninsured (Value) Life Annuities, Simplified Chinese Executive Summary
April
This is a Simplified Chinese translation of the Executive Summary from Variable Uninsured (Value) Life Annuities - Theory, Practice and Country Cases. The Simplified Chinese Executive Summary is the second item under Materials on the report page, under the English version of the report. The aim of this project is to present proposals for Variable Uninsured Life Annuities—or “Value annuities.” The report and the accompanying models illustrate how Value annuities work. - Financial Perspectives on Aging and Retirement Across the Generations, Simplified Chinese Executive Summary
April
This is a Simplified Chinese translation of the Executive Summary from Financial Perspectives on Aging and Retirement Across the Generations, the results of a study focused on the financial perspectives of aging and retirement of Americans across five generations, including Millennials, Gen X, Early Boomers, Late Boomers and the Silent Generation.
2021
- Variable Uninsured (Value) Life Annuities
November
The aim of this project is to present proposals for Variable Uninsured Life Annuities—or “Value annuities.” The report and the accompanying models illustrate how Value annuities work. The practicalities of designing and administering a Value pool are addressed, and legislative, regulatory and supervisory implications are illuminated by case studies on two countries (India and Malaysia). This set of material is broader than most contributions to the literature and is aimed at making the approach more feasible and accessible to policymakers, thereby facilitating actual introduction and implementation.
2020
- Selected Innovation and Technology Report Summaries in Chinese
October
The SOA has translated four of its AIT report summaries into both Traditional and Simplified Chinese. They are “Behavioral Science”, “Big Data and the Future Actuary”, “Cancer Genomics”, and “Cloud Computing and Machine Learning Uses in the Actuarial Profession.” - International Health Care Funding Report
August
The SOA’s International Section, in collaboration with the International Actuarial Association Health Section and the American Academy of Actuaries Health Practice International Committee, is pleased to make available a research report providing a comparison of health financing arrangements in 36 countries. The report is meant to be easy-to-follow and visual to bring clarity to a complex topic. - Canadian Report on the Survey of Post-Level Premium Period Lapse and Mortality Assumptions for Level Premium Term Plans
April
The Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) and Society of Actuaries (SOA) engaged RGA Reinsurance Company (RGA) to undertake a research project on level premium term life insurance products with a particular focus on the magnitude and impact of the “shock lapse” at the end of the level premium period. This project is similar to the SOA-sponsored research completed by RGA in 2014 for USA business. - Spotlight on Retirement: Latin America
February
The Society of Actuaries (SOA) and LIMRA jointly commissioned this research in Latin America to study current and future retirement market opportunities. In the twenty-first century, Latin America has undergone a significant and rapid demographic shift towards an aging population.
2019
- Modeling and Forecasting Cause-of-Death Mortality
December
The Product Development Section, the Financial Reporting Section, the Modeling Section and the Committee on Life Insurance Research are pleased to present new research on modeling and forecasting cause-of-death mortality. - Aging in Singapore, Implications for Long-Term Care Financing
September
Today, Singapore is one of the fastest aging populations in the world. With life expectancy currently in excess of 80 years and continuing to increase in the face of declining fertility rates, the percentage of citizens aged 65+ is estimated to double from 12.4% in 2014 to 24.0% in 2030, rising to more than 30% in 2050. This study addresses the impact of Singapore’s aging population on long-term care financing. - The Use of Big Data and Data Analytics to Enhance Insurer Operations in Asia-Pacific
August
There are various technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, cloud computing and the internet that are playing a key role in the development of big data and data analytics. These technologies are expected to become increasingly important in shaping the future of insurance by helping insurance companies build and implement successful applications, taking some of the oldest industries in the world, such as banking and insurance, into the 21st century. - Cloud Computing and Machine Learning Uses in the Actuarial Profession (Including Traditional and Simplified Chinese summaries)
July
Actuarial modeling has gone through several distinct phases largely defined by the underlying technology platform. Today, cloud computing is again redefining the technology foundations of actuarial modeling and related processes. - Behavioral Science Report (Including Traditional and Simplified Chinese summaries)
June
Situated at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, sociology, and economics, behavioral economics (BE) centers on applying an honest understanding of human behavior to practical problems. This report is designed to provide general familiarity to the reader interested in the subject of BE and motivate additional research on the topic. - Cancer Genomics (Including Traditional and Simplified Chinese summaries)
May
The treatment of advanced cancer is undergoing a major paradigm shift. Traditional pillars of cancer treatment – surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy – are moving to two new efficacious approaches: tumor genomics and immunotherapy. This analysis report introduces SOA stakeholders to these brand-new areas, examines the growing clinical evidence, and sets initial projections for cost effectiveness. - Big Data and the Future Actuary (Including Traditional and Simplified Chinese summaries)
April
The purpose of this report is to review the existing literature on how today’s unprecedented access to data is reshaping the capabilities of insurance actuaries. Topics covered in this report include the ways in which actuaries are using non-traditional data sources, how this is likely to evolve into the future, and how the typical roles, technologies, and skillsets of the future actuary will look different than they do today. - Constructing Occupation‐Specific Life Tables for China
January
This report documents the “Constructing Occupation-Specific Life Tables for China” project commissioned by the Society of Actuaries under the “China Research Topics” proposal. The purpose of the project is to construct the most up-to-date occupational life tables for male and female urban employees in China based on administrative data from the Beijing Public Pension System for the period 2005–2009.
2018
- Pension Investment and Withdrawal: What Concerns are Influencing Participant Preferences?
December
This project aims to understand pension participants’ investment and withdrawal behaviors and provide guidance in pension plan design, using data from China. We carried out a survey of employees' preferences on occupational pension investment and withdrawal in China. - Modeling and Forecasting Chinese Population Dynamics in a Multi-Population Context
December
The purpose of this project is to forecast China's population structure in the coming decades by projecting both the mortality and fertility rates of the Chinese population. In particular, we forecast China's future mortality rates in a multiple-population context, by explicitly allowing its systematic mortality patterns to gradually converge to those of a group of more developed countries with higher life expectancy levels and better data quality. - Trends in the Chinese Annuity Market and the Management of Longevity Risk
December
China’s pension system has transformed from traditional retirement system based on command economy to modern pension system based on market economy, which basically guarantees the living standards of retirees. - The Development of WeChat Marketing and Distribution of Insurance Products in China
December
WeChat is gradually becoming the main force of insurance online marketing for insurance products in China. With the popularization of WeChat communication technology, more and more insurance companies have started to use the WeChat platform. - Canadian Segregated Funds Product Experience Study
November
The Society of Actuaries, LIMRA, and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries jointly conducted a study examining both mortality and policyholder behavior experience for Canadian segregated funds products. - Spotlight On Retirement, Summary Report
May
The Society of Actuaries (SOA) and LIMRA jointly commissioned an Asia-wide research project to study the current state and future opportunity of the retirement market in Asia. - Letting Insurance Asset Data Speak for Itself – Asset Allocations of Life Insurers in Asia
March
The Society of Actuaries Committee on Finance Research is pleased to make available a research report that describes trends in asset allocation of major life insurers across eight Asian markets (China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand). - Population Aging, Implications for Asset Values, and Impact for Pension Plans: An International Study
February
The Society of Actuaries is pleased to make available preliminary material for a research project investigating Population Aging and its impact on pension plans.
2016
2015
2014
2013
- Funding Public Health Insurance Plans Canada and Globally
December - Sustainability of the Canadian Health Care System and Impact of the 2014 Revision to the Canada Health Transfer
September - Comparative Failure Experience in the U.S. and Canadian Life Insurance and Banking Industries from 1980 to 2010
March
2012
- Will Retirement of Canadian Baby Boomers Deflate Asset Values?
May - Optimal Distribution Rules for Defined Contribution Plans: What Can the United States and Australia Learn from Other Countries?
May