More and more soldiers are taking out life insurance policies to boost Ministry of Defence pay-outs according to sources in the insurance industry and armed forces.

Insurers have urged soldiers to take out life insurance policies even when they are young because at that time of life people are cheaper to insure.

Research from the Defence Analytical Services Agency has revealed that 50 per cent of the 190 deaths that occurred among the UK regular Armed Forces a year ago were due to accidents, while a further 49 were due to disease.

These figures highlight how important life insurance can be even for those in the armed forces, who might think, wrongly, that their position in the force precludes them from having life insurance.

Insurers are now advertising on the internet formulating policies that take soldiers specific circumstances into consideration. For example, last year SLI Insurance offered war and terrorism cover, including chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear warfare when on UK military duties; guaranteed acceptance, even when on operations or under orders to deploy; a guaranteed cover for up to 25 years, while premium rates are also guaranteed not increase for the life of the policy, as well as non-smoker discounts.