1. The cost of dying explained

What is the cost of dying and how has it changed?

The ‘cost of dying’ is the total cost of a funeral – including professional fees, the funeral service, and optional extras like the party or wake.

2. Funeral costs in the UK

How much does a basic funeral cost?

The average cost of a basic funeral has gone down for the first time since our research began. At £4,056, it’s down 3.1% since 2020.

How much does a burial, cremation and direct cremation cost?

While the cost of a basic funeral may have dropped, the most affordable type of funeral – direct cremation – has risen in cost to £1,647 (+6% since 2020).

At £4,927 (-2.1%), a burial is still the most expensive option. And a cremation costs £3,765 (-3.1%) on average.

Other costs included in a basic funeral

There are other costs that can make up the cost of a funeral

Professional fees

The most dramatic change this year is the fall in professional fees. At £2,325, they’ve gone down 8.7% since 2020, making up 26.2% of the total cost of dying.

Send-off costs

A send-off is the added optional extras that can make a funeral more personal to the deceased and their loved ones, like the catering, memorial, wake and flowers.

This year, send-off costs have dropped to £2,484 (-1.9%). This is probably because organising a farewell in 2021 was more difficult – if not impossible – for many due to COVID-19.

Funeral costs by UK regions

Despite the overall drop in costs, the cost of dying has still risen in four regions across the UK – London, North East England, North West England, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

At £5,358, London is still the most expensive place to die. And at £3,056, Northern Ireland is once again the most affordable place to die.

4. Funerals and COVID-19

Saying goodbye during a pandemic

In 2020 and 2021, funeral services changed drastically due to the pandemic.

85% of people who organised a funeral between February 2020 and July 2021 said it was affected by COVID-19 and social distancing measures.

53% of people said the funeral they organised was affected a lot by the pandemic.

Here's how Covid-19 has affected funerals:

83% of funerals had fewer attendees

83%

---

79% of funerals had social distancing applied

79%

---

75% of funerals had no hugging or comforting

75%

---

56% of funerals had no wake

56%

---

47% of funerals had no singing

47%

---

27% of funerals had no limousines

27%

---

25% of funerals took longer to organise

25%

---

20% of funerals had no flowers

20%

---

14% of funerals had to take place virtually

14%

How is the funeral industry coping?

97% of funeral directors say they’ve been affected by the pandemic.

But only 53% say they’ve felt supported by the government – almost the exact same figures as our previous report.

When we asked funeral directors what they think the long-term impact of COVID-19 will be on the funeral industry, the most common answers were:

• Funeral services and gatherings will be smaller
• Direct cremations will continue to gain popularity
• People will continue to record and stream funerals for remote viewing

5. Paying for a funeral

Who's paying for funerals?

66% of people made provisions specifically to pay for their funeral before they passed away – up 2% since last year.

But only 63% put enough aside to cover the whole cost of the funeral.

How are we paying for funerals?

In 2021, 17% of families experienced notable financial concerns when paying for a funeral. On average, they had to find £1,800 to cover the overall costs.

Most of them found the money by delving into their savings and investments, borrowing from a friend or relative, or by using a credit card.

How people made up the funeral cost

2021

2020

Took money from savings or investments

38%

38%

---

Used a credit card

22%

25%

---

Borrowed money from a friend or relative

27

25%

---

Paid the funeral director in instalments

17%

16%

---

Sold belongings

16%

17%

---

Borrowed money from a loan provider (e.g. a bank)

10%

13%

---

Applied for subsidy from government or local authority

7%

9%

---

Other

3%

6%

---

Can't remember

2%

3%

Exploring options

Only 17% of people got more than one quote when organising a funeral – down 1% since 2020.

But remember – even if your loved one specifies which funeral director they want, you can still shop around for more affordable options.

How you can cover funeral costs

1 in 5 people said certain funeral costs surprised them. The most common culprits were flowers, embalming, the funeral director and the coffin.

So it could be worth putting financial plans in place today, such as over 50s life insurance or a funeral plan.

If you find yourself struggling to pay for a funeral, you can read our Help with funeral costs article for more guidance.

Cutting costs: tips and advice

Even though the cost of dying dropped in 2021, 50% of people still tried to cut back and keep funeral costs down.

When we asked how they cut funeral costs, the most common answers were:

How people cut funeral costs

2021

2020

Chose a cheaper coffin

16%

18%

---

Spent less on flowers

16%

15%

---

Had a home wake

15%

14%

---

Didn't use a hearse/limousine

10%

11%

---

Chose not to embalm

11%

10%

---

Shopped around for the best price

10%

10%

---

Didn't use order of service cards

8%

9%

---

Chose a direct cremation

6%

7%

---

Chose a cheaper cremation time

5%

5%

---

Asked the funeral director to use fewer pall bearers

3%

3%

89% of funeral directors also said people spent more money than they needed to, especially on flowers, the coffin and limousines.

6. Planning a funeral

Funerals continued to change in 2021, with virtual services and smaller gatherings becoming the norm. But there are still ways we can give our loved ones a special send-off…

Funeral planning tips and advice

When we asked people who organised a funeral how to make the process easier, they said:

• Get a few quotes from different funeral directors
• Don't put too much pressure on yourself
• Talk to your loved ones and ask for help
• Stick to your budget

And when we asked funeral directors the same question, they said:

• Don't worry about what others may think
• Get advice early, but don't rush into anything
• Get into the finer details later

Lets talk about funeral wishes

Just like in 2020, most people still aren’t keen to talk about death and funerals.

Only 1% of people knew all their loved ones’ funeral wishes – and 19% didn’t know any of their wishes at all.

Of those who knew their wishes, 62% had been told directly, 18% were told by family and friends, and 16% found out from the will.

How people knew about their loved one's funeral wishes

62% from the deceased directly

62%

---

18% from the deceased's will

18%

---

16% from family/friends

16%

---

13% from the deceased's pre-paid funeral plan

13%

---

8% from the deceased's letter of intent

8%

---

5% from the deceased's solicitor

5%

---

3% from last wishes website

3%

---

3% other

3%

---

2% don't know

2%

Are we planning ahead?

The number of people who’ve started to think about their own funeral has gone down by 1% in 2021 to 61%.

And the number of these people who’ve made a will has dropped even more – from 38% in 2020, to just 33% in 2021.

Whatever you’d like for your send-off, it’s important to talk about your wishes, record them, and get a financial plan in place – be it life insurance, a funeral plan, or a savings account.

How people are planning for their own funeral

33% I've made a will

33%

---

31% I've spoken to someone about my funeral preferences

31%

---

24% I've got money set aside to pay for my funeral

24%

---

17% I've made a record of my wishes in writing

17%

---

15% I've pre-paid for my funeral

15%

---

14% I've chosen the funeral song

14%

---

2% Other

2%

7. Trends and traditions

Attitudes continue to change

Even with disruption from COVID-19, plenty of us still want to give our loved ones a more upbeat send-off.

Almost half of all funeral services were described as a celebration of life in 2021.

And 17% of people who organised a funeral said they encouraged something different or unusual – from colourful dress codes to light-hearted speeches.

65% of funeral directors have seen a drop in the number of traditional religious festivals – 2% higher than the previous year.

How would you describe the tone of the funeral service

2021

2020

A celebration of life

49%

50%

---

Remembrance

41%

43%

---

Traditional

31%

33%

---

Casual/laidback

9%

10%

---

Modern

6%

7%

Technology and funerals

90% of funeral directors say they saw new trends emerge in 2021 – such as the use of web links, apps and video to record and stream funeral services.

This new use of technology has made it possible for people to attend their loved one’s funeral digitally if government restrictions are in place.

What do funeral directors say is the biggest new tech trend?

The nation's favourite funeral songs

In 2021, ‘Abide With Me’ was the song most played at funerals.

But when we asked people what song they’d like played at their own send-off, the number one spot was taken by ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’.

So why not let your family know what song you’d like for your funeral, and ask them what they’d like for theirs? It’s one of the easiest ways to make a send-off more memorable.

8. The future of the funeral industry

According to funeral directors, the biggest problems facing the funeral industry are:

• More competition
• Worsening reuptation
• Rising costs
• Certain companies lowering standards
• Direct cremations becoming more popular
• A lack of transparency

What can be done?

40% of funeral directors say they want to see more regulation of the funeral industry – 15% more than in 2020.

What changes do funeral directors want to see?

40% more regulation

40%

---

18% cost transparency

18%

---

12% bring prices down

12%

---

8% people being more knowledgable about a funeral

8%

---

5% ensure the same standards for everyone

5%

---

3% greater funding from the government

3%

---

3% improve doctor processes

3%

---

2% reduce regulations and red tape

2%

---

18% don't know

18%