China and India are the world’s most populous and rapidly developing countries and are often discussed together. We examine life insurance firms in these two countries between 2008 and 2016 using a game cross-efficiency model, which comparatively measures insurers’ performance using Nash equilibrium weights. We investigate whether there is an optimal business model for three business dimensions: assets, funding and income. From our second-stage regressions we conclude that strategic focus is superior in terms of assets and income to diversification at the insurer level. At the capital market and economic levels, economic development, unemployment, stock market development and other variables are also important. Our study provides useful insights into how a business model can be made more efficient in large emerging markets.