More cash-strapped British customers not renewing their medical insurance failed to stop revenue growth at Bupa, as the privately held insurer and healthcare group compensated with price increases and new customers abroad.

In the UK, about 70 per cent of the group’s medical insurance customers receive cover through work, with the remainder taking out insurance individually. As unemployment has risen, Bupa has seen a 3 per cent fall in the numbers of those it insures in the UK in the past six months compared with the same period last year.