The life insurance industry emerged in the mid-19th century in Sweden. In the emerging industrial society, life insurance met a growing need to secure the family's livelihood in the face of life's uncertainties. Changing livelihood patterns and rising incomes created economic opportunities to save money for survivors. At the turn of the 20th century, life insurance provided security for many families in the country. For the economy as a whole, this meant that household savings, which had previously been tied up within the family, could be used for investments in the whole economy. The project examines the life insurance industry using economic statistics collected from all Swedish and foreign companies operating in Sweden since the mid-19th century. The focus is on the development of life insurance companies, growth, transformation and returns in the companies' insurance and investment business. Based on current research literature, it analyzes how macroeconomic conditions, institutional changes, market structure, corporate forms and company-specific characteristics have affected the development of the companies. From a broader research perspective, the study of the history of the Swedish insurance system is important because both market structure and institutions differ from the countries that have been models for the development of theory. The aim of the project is to increase our knowledge in this area and thereby contribute to the international development of theory.