The OECD has been collecting insurance statistics for almost two decades,with data on the insurance sector dating back to the early 1980s. In response to the financial crisis, the Global Insurance Statistics (GIS) project was launched of the OECD’s insurance market monitoring activities.The main objective was to expand the scope of the OECD’s statistical framework for insurance and extend its global reach,with a view to enhancing the transparency of insurance markets. These changes led to the collection of key balance sheet and income statement items for the direct insurance and reinsurance sectors, and to the geographical expansion of the OECD’s Global Insurance Statistics Database.