Cancer was the number one cause of life insurance payouts in 2018, according to an annual report from Irish Life.
The report shows there was an 11% increase in the number of claims last year compared to 2017.
The insurance firm paid out almost €300m in life insurance, illness, and injury claims during 2018.
Women claim at a younger age than men at 51 years old, four years earlier than men.
Up to 50% of people have no life insurance cover at all, and only one in five have enough savings to get by in the case of serious illness or injury.