Core Insights - The insurance agent workforce is transitioning from quantity expansion to quality enhancement, marking a significant shift towards high-quality growth in the insurance industry [1] Group 1: Stability in Agent Workforce - The insurance agent workforce is showing signs of stabilization, with a slight decrease of 4.0% to approximately 1.33 million agents among five A-share listed insurance companies by mid-2025 [2] - The number of insurance marketing agents is projected to be 2.64 million by the end of 2024, down over 70% from the peak of 9.12 million in 2019, but the decline has significantly narrowed compared to 2.81 million at the end of 2023 [2] - The stabilization is attributed to the completion of the "clearing" process and the implementation of "quality over quantity" strategies by insurance companies, focusing on attracting and nurturing high-quality talent [2] Group 2: Reduction in Branch Offices - Insurance companies are also undergoing a "streamlining" process, with the number of branch offices closed from 2020 to 2024 being 980, 2,196, 3,020, 2,065, and 2,012 respectively [3] - Since 2025, over 2,400 branch offices have exited the market, with a total of more than 12,000 institutions closed in the past five years [3] Group 3: Transformation of Agent Roles - The role of insurance agents is evolving from mere sales to comprehensive advisory roles, with companies like Ping An Life introducing "insurance health consultants" that combine multiple identities [4] - Major insurance firms are enhancing professional training to meet refined customer needs, reflecting a shift from quantity-driven expansion to quality-driven capability enhancement [4][5] - Regulatory frameworks are supporting this transformation, with directives aimed at accelerating marketing system reforms and encouraging the professionalization of insurance sales personnel [4] Group 4: Rising Professional Standards - The educational qualifications of insurance marketing agents are improving, with 72.34% holding a college degree or higher, an increase of 5.5 percentage points from the previous year [5] - The proportion of new agents with a bachelor's degree or higher has risen from under 30% five years ago to nearly 70% [5] Group 5: Performance Growth Linked to Quality - The quality enhancement is translating into performance growth, with China Life's individual insurance channel new business value reaching 24.34 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.5% [6] - Ping An Life's agent channel new business value grew by 17.0%, with per capita new business value increasing by 21.6% [6] - New business value for Xinhua Insurance's individual insurance channel reached 3.11 billion yuan, up 11.7% year-on-year, with per capita productivity increasing by 74% [6] Group 6: Future Trends and Challenges - As customer insurance awareness grows, the demand for comprehensive services is increasing, necessitating agents to transition from sales experts to planning consultants with knowledge across multiple fields [7] - The introduction of roles like "financial planners" and "risk managers" is attracting more professionals into the insurance sector, with expectations for the agent workforce to stabilize and potentially grow [7] - However, the industry will continue to experience a dynamic process of selection, with increasing complexity in product sales requiring higher professional capabilities from agents [8]

Core Viewpoint - The number of insurance agents in China's five major listed life insurance companies has shown signs of stabilization, with a total of 1.3302 million agents as of mid-2025, down from 1.3852 million at the end of 2024, indicating a decrease of 55,000 agents or 3.97% [1][2] Group 1: Agent Numbers and Trends - As of mid-2025, the total number of agents for the five major life insurance companies is 1.3302 million, a decrease from 1.3852 million at the end of 2024 and 1.373 million in mid-2024 [3] - China Life remains the leader in individual insurance sales personnel with 592,000 agents, down from 629,000 a year earlier [3] - Ping An Life's agent count is stable at 340,000 compared to the previous year, but down 6.34% from the end of 2024 [3] - Taikang Life's agent count increased to 186,000, a year-on-year growth of 1.6% [4] Group 2: Reasons for Stabilization - The stabilization of agent numbers is attributed to strategic transformations focusing on quality over quantity, accelerated digital transformation, and optimization of team structure [4][5] - The new business value for Ping An Life's agents grew by 17.0% year-on-year, with per capita new business value increasing by 21.6% [4] - New business value for Xinhua Insurance's individual insurance channel reached 3.105 billion yuan, up 11.7% year-on-year, with per capita productivity increasing by 74% [4] Group 3: Future Outlook - The insurance agent workforce is expected to stabilize in total numbers while optimizing its structure, driven by aging population and increasing wealth management needs [5][6] - The industry is transitioning from scale expansion to quality enhancement, with a focus on high-quality, professional agents [5] - The demand for long-term protection products like health and pension insurance is anticipated to provide more business opportunities for agents [6]