Per data provided by Bloomberg, of the net premiums earned in 2013, German reinsurers were approximately 27% of that volume. The United States is by far the highest percentage contributor and the Swiss are third at sub 13%. So it is safe to conclude that the Germans/Swiss are over-represented globally in the reinsurance industry (relative to their total economic output). And the United States is as well. While one cannot say conclusively why this is the case given the myriad of factors that contribute to economic and capital-market development in any country throughout history, I believe the primary contributing factor is likely that all of these nations are wealthy countries that generate or attract excess capital reserves due to their reputation of safe and responsible stewards of capital (from a legal and regulatory standpoint) and they have the necessary infrastructure (deep capital markets / managerial talent) that allows for the funding of large scale risk-taking that is necessary in reinsurance. Reinsurance is a hugely capital intensive business, so to prosper in reinsurance on the level that the Americans, Germans and Swiss have, you must have the proper legal and regulatory protections in place plus the managerial expertise to run the operation. As a side note, the United States experience is also certainly driven by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, who is the world's largest reinsurance company by premiums earned. Reinsurance has been the primary contributor of his success since at least the mid 1980s. A lot of US investment companies have copied his model, due to his success (and especially hedge funds the past few years). But I do not think that trend has anything to do with German/Swiss insurers. Also before Berkshire became significantly involved in reinsurance in the 1980s, it is likely the German and Swiss insurers who dominated the industry. And again, likely driven by the wealth in those regions accumulated over many centuries and the proper legal, regulatory and managerial infrastructure.