LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - British life insurer Legal & General reported an operating profit of 1.67 billion pounds ($2.12 billion) for 2023, below expectations and in a "challenging" economic environment, the company said on Wednesday.

Operating profit was forecast at 1.75 billion pounds according to a company-supplied consensus poll.

"We are on course to achieve our five-year targets, and demonstrated resilience in challenging markets," new chief executive Antonio Simoes said in a statement.

($1 = 0.7872 pounds) (Reporting by Carolyn Cohn, editing by Sinead Cruise)