Best Life Insurance for Young Adults (2025)


Shopping for life insurance in your 20s? Smart move. Buying now means lower premiums, better coverage options, and easier approval. Legal & General, Pacific Life, and Protective Insurance are the best life insurance companies for young adults in 2025.

Find out if you're overpaying for life insurance below.

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Updated: November 4, 2025

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Key Takeaways
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Legal & General is the best term life insurance company for young adult men, with average rates of $30 per month. For young adult women, the best option is Assurity, with average rates of $22 per month.

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Pacific Life offers the best no-exam policies for young people, with $3 million maximum coverage, while Protective Insurance offers the best rates for 20-25 year olds at high coverage levels of $1 million and higher.

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North American is the best whole life insurance for young adults, with average rates at $281 for 25-year-old women and $347 for men.

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Best Life Insurance Companies for Young Adults

Legal & General, Pacific Life, and Protective Insurance are the best life insurance providers for young adults. Depending on your specific needs, other options may be better for you:

Young Men
Legal & General

Term: $26 (F), $30 (M)

20
10-40 years
Yes
4.7
No-Exam
Pacific Life

Term: $26 (F), $30 (M) 

Whole: $313 (F), $377 (M)

18
10-30 years
No
4.7
High Coverage ($1M+)
Protective Insurance

Term: $23 (F), $29 (M)

Whole: $308 (F), $350 (M)

20
10-40 years
Yes
4.6
Young Women and Smokers
Assurity

Term: $22 (F), $30 (M)

18
10-30 years
No
4.6
Customer Experience
Guardian Life

Term: $27 (F), $33 (M)

18
10-30 years
Yes
4.5
Whole Life
North American

Term: $22 (F), $28 (M)

Whole: $281 (F), $347 (M)

18
10-30 years
Yes
4.5

* Rates shown here are for healthy, non-smoking 25-year-olds of average height and weight at $500,000 coverage on 20-year terms. Your rates will vary by state, health profile, coverage needs, and other factors. Compare personalized quotes from multiple providers to get the best rates.

Best Life Insurance for Young Men: Legal & General

Company Image

Legal & General

MoneyGeek Rating
4.7/ 5
4.7/5Affordability
4.7/5Customer Experience
4.7/5Coverage Options
  • Avg. Monthly Rate (Term)

    $26 (F), $30 M
  • Min. Supported Age

    20
  • Term Lengths

    10-40

Best No-Exam Life Insurance for Young Adults: Pacific Life

Company Image

Pacific Life

MoneyGeek Rating
4.7/ 5
4.7/5Affordability
4.6/5Customer Experience
4.9/5Coverage Options
  • Avg. Monthly Rate (Term)

    $25 (F), $30 (M)
  • Avg. Monthly Rate (Whole)

    $313 (F), $377 (M)
  • Min. Age Supported

    18
  • Term Lengths

    10-30 years

Best for High Coverage Levels ($1M+): Protective Insurance

Company Image

Protective

MoneyGeek Rating
4.6/ 5
4.7/5Affordability
4.6/5Customer Experience
4.3/5Coverage Options
  • Avg. Monthly Rate (Term)

    $23 (F), $29 (M)
  • Avg. Monthly Rate (Whole)

    $308 (F), $350 (M)
  • Min. Age Supported

    20
  • Term Lengths

    10-40 years

Best Life Insurance for Young Women and Smokers: Assurity

Company Image

Assurity

MoneyGeek Rating
4.6/ 5
4.6/5Affordability
4.6/5Customer Experience
4.5/5Coverage Options
  • Avg. Monthly Rate (Term)

    $22 (F), $30 (M)
  • Min. Age Supported

    18
  • Term Lengths

    10-30 years

Best Customer Experience: Guardian Life

Company Image

Guardian Life

MoneyGeek Rating
4.5/ 5
4.5/5Affordability
4.9/5Customer Experience
4/5Coverage Options
  • Avg. Monthly Rate (Term)

    $27 (F), $33 (M)
  • Min. Supported Age

    18
  • Term Lengths

    10-30 years

Best Whole Life Insurance for Young Adults: North American

Company Image

North American

MoneyGeek Rating
4.5/ 5
4.8/5Affordability
4.6/5Customer Experience
3.3/5Coverage Options
  • Avg. Monthly Rate (Term)

    $22 (F), $28 (M)
  • Avg. Monthly Rate (Whole)

    $281 (F), $347 (M)
  • Min. Supported Age

    18
  • Term Lengths

    10-30 years

Average Cost of Life Insurance for Young Adults

For young adults, term life insurance costs $20 to $35 monthly, with women paying less than men across all insurers. Among the providers in our list, North American offers the lowest term rates at $20 for 20-year-old women and $27 for men, while Guardian Life charges the most at $27 for 20-year-old women and $33 for men. Whole life insurance is more expensive, starting at $59 for 20-year-old women and $70 for men, jumping to as high as $313 for 25-year-old women and $455 for men as policies build cash value.

Assurity
$21 (F), $30 (M)
$22 (F), $30 (M)
$23 (F), $30 (M)
N/A
N/A
N/A
Protective Insurance
$21 (F), $28 (M)
$23 (F), $29 (M)
$24 (F), $30 (M)
$59 (F), $84 (M)
$308 (F), $350 (M)
$403 (F), $433 (M)
North American
$20 (F), $27 (M)
$22 (F), $28 (M)
$24 (F), $29 (M)
$66 (F), $70 (M)
$281 (F), $347 (M)
$361 (F), $432 (M)
Pacific Life
$25 (F), $30 (M)
$26 (F), $30 (M)
$27 (F), $30 (M)
$78 (F), $81 (M)
$313 (F), $377 (M)
$396 (F), $455 (M)
Legal & General
$26 (F), $30 (M)
$26 (F), $30 (M)
$26 (F), $30 (M)
N/A
N/A
N/A
Guardian Life
$27 (F), $33 (M)
$27 (F), $33 (M)
$27 (F), $35 (M)
N/A
N/A
N/A

* Your actual rates may vary based on health, lifestyle, and other factors. Request quotes from multiple companies when researching the best life insurance plans for you.

What is the Best Type of Life Insurance for Young Adults?

Term and permanent (which includes whole and universal) are the two main types of life insurance. Term life insurance is usually the best option for young adults, allowing you to secure lower rates while you're young and healthy. Select a plan that lasts 20 or 30 years to protect your loved ones from financial challenges if you pass away unexpectedly.

Guarantees a Death Benefit
Yes
Yes
Allows Access to Living Benefits
Limited (accelerated death benefit only)
Yes (multiple options)
Coverage Length
10-40 years
Your entire life
Premium Cost
Affordable
More expensive
Change in Premium Cost
May remain the same or may increase over time, depending on what type you get
Remains the same over time
Earns Cash Value
No
Yes, cash value accumulates over time
Eligible for Dividends
No
Yes, depending on the insurer
Allows for Withdrawals While Policy Is in Effect
No
Yes, but loans will cause the death benefit to be reduced if unpaid
Requires a Health Exam
Depends on the insurer
Depends on the insurer

Best Life Insurance for Young People: Bottom Line

Life insurance for young adults costs $20 to $35 monthly for term coverage, making it affordable to protect your family during your peak earning years. Legal & General leads for young men at $30 monthly, while Pacific Life offers no-exam policies up to $3 million and Assurity provides the lowest rates for women and smokers. Protective Insurance excels for high coverage needs above $1 million with an A+ rating, and Guardian Life delivers top-tier customer service. North American offers the most affordable whole life policies starting at $66 monthly, though term insurance usually makes more sense for young adults building financial protection.

Compare Life Insurance Rates

Ensure you are getting the best rate for your insurance. Compare quotes from the top insurance companies.

Why do we need ZIP code?

Life Insurance for Young Adults: FAQ

We answer common questions about getting life insurance as a young adult. Although life insurance may seem unnecessary right now, this financial safeguard will protect your loved ones if you die unexpectedly.

Why should you get life insurance at a young age?

How young can you get life insurance?

Is life insurance cheaper when you’re younger?

Our Review Methodology

Finding the right life insurance in your 20s feels overwhelming when you're already juggling student loans, career changes and maybe starting a family. That's why we built our research specifically around what matters most to young adults: affordable premiums that won't strain your budget and straightforward coverage.

Our Scoring Framework

We evaluated insurers using three key factors, weighted to reflect young adult priorities:

  • Affordability (50%): How do the company’s rates compare to other providers for similar coverage?
  • Customer Experience (30%): We analyzed customer complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), AM Best financial strength ratings, and consumer sentiment among popular review forums. We also evaluated digital tools and payment flexibility since young adults typically prefer online management and multiple payment options.
  • Coverage Options (20%): We considered available plan types, coverage limits, age restrictions, term lengths, riders, and other customization options.

Each company earned up to five points in each category. We then converted these category scores into a weighted overall score out of five points using our percentage weightings.

Sample Profile Details

We gathered 248,399 life insurance quotes using a standard young adult profile:

  • Ages 18 to 30
  • Nonsmoker
  • Average health level
  • Average height
  • Average weight
  • Multiple coverage amounts from starter policies to family protection
  • Various term lengths to match different financial timelines

We modified this profile by age, gender, health rating, and location to capture rate variations across the young adult demographic. This approach revealed pricing patterns that help predict what you'll actually pay. Unless otherwise specified, rates shown throughout this article are for healthy, non-smoking 25-year-olds of average height and weight.

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About Mark Fitzpatrick


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Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Producer, is MoneyGeek's resident Personal Finance Expert. With over five years of experience analyzing the insurance market, he conducts original research and creates tailored content for all types of buyers. His insights have been featured in publications like CNBC, NBC News and Mashable.

Fitzpatrick holds a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He's also a five-time Jeopardy champion!

He writes about economics and insurance, breaking down complex topics so people know what they're buying.


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