Funeral costs in the UK

1. The cost of dying explained

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

The 'Cost of Dying' figure is the price of a basic funeral, plus extras like the send-off and professional fees.

In 2020, the cost of dying has reached an all-time high of £9,493. This marks a 3.1% increase in just one year – and a rise of 42% since we first started tracking the total cost of dying in 2007.

Why has the cost of dying risen so much?

One of the main reasons behind this price jump is the rising cost of a funeral, which now stands at £4,417 (+3.4% since 2018). That’s an increase of £2,497 since we began our research in 2004.

What costs the most?

The average cost of dying has gone up to an all-time high of £9,493. So it’s risen by £289 (+3.1%) since 2018, and 42% since 2007.

Funeral costs are rising

Average funeral costs have risen by 62% in the last decade. When you compare this to rises in other costs over the past ten years – like petrol prices, electricity prices, house prices and weekly wages – the difference is vast.

For example, if wages had risen in line with funeral costs, the average weekly wage would be £790 today. But they’ve actually only risen by 19.7% to £585.

Will funeral costs keep rising?

If funeral costs continue to rise at the same rate as the last 15 years, the average cost of dying could reach over £10,000 in just three years’ time.

£1,920

2004

£1,965

2005

£2,168

2006

£2,390

2007

£2,549

2008

£2,733

2009

£2,857

2010

£3,091

2011

£3,284

2012

£3,456

2013

£3,590

2014

£3,693

2015

£3,987

2016

£4,078

2017

£4,271

2018

£4,417

2019

£4,601

2020

£4,772

2021

£4,943

2022

£5,114

2023

£5,285

2024

2. Breakdown of funeral costs

Average funeral costs

At £4,417, the average cost of a basic funeral is up 3.4% since 2018, when it was £4,271 – that’s an all-time high. And since we first started our research in 2004, the average cost of a basic funeral has increased by 130%.

(£4,417 represents the mean average of the cost of a burial and the cost of a cremation in the UK.)

These basic funeral costs include the funeral directors’ fees (£2,687), doctors’ fees (£164), clergy/officiate fees (£169) and the burial or cremation fees.

Burial, cremation and direct cremation costs

In the UK in 2020, a burial is still the most expensive send-off and direct cremation is still the most affordable option. The cost of a direct cremation is also down from 2018.

Burial costs

In 2020, the average basic burial cost has risen by 3.7% to £4,975. And 23% of all funerals were burials, which is down 4% since 2018.

Cremation costs

In 2020, the average basic cremation cost has risen by 3% to £3,858. 77% of all funerals were cremations, which is up 4% since 2018. (And 2% of these were described as direct cremations.)

The average cost of a basic cremation has risen by 58% in the last decade.

Direct cremation costs

A direct cremation is a cremation with no funeral service. The remains are returned to loved ones to be kept or scattered, and they can throw a farewell ceremony at a later date if they wish.

In 2020, the average cost of a direct cremation fell by 5% to £1,626.

Other costs included in a basic funeral

Professional fees

The amount spent on professional fees (for hiring a professional to administer the estate) has gone down to £2,771 in 2020 (-3.5% since 2018). But these fees still make up 29.2% of the total cost of dying.

Send-off costs

A typical send-off usually includes a memorial, catering, limo hire, venue hire, flowers, order sheets/service cards, the funeral notice and the death notice.

In 2020, average send-off costs have risen to £2,306. That’s up 11.9% since 2018 – a bigger percentage rise than funeral costs. They now make up 24% of the total cost of dying.

Funeral costs by region

Where you live can make a big difference to the cost of a funeral. This is because the average cost of burials varies hugely.

London is still the most expensive place to die, but its average basic funeral cost is rising at a much slower rate than other regions.

3. Challenges facing the funeral industry

What do funeral directors say?

We asked UK funeral directors what they consider to be the biggest challenges facing their industry in 2020. They said:

• Unregulated funeral directors. If they’re unregulated and unqualified, they can charge inflated prices.
• Rising funeral prices. This means people can’t afford the send-off they’d like.
• The press. Bad publicity is tarring all funeral directors with the same brush.

What's being done?

In March 2019, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an inquiry into the funeral sector.

This may mean there will be more choice and transparency around prices for funeral services, so people will be able to make more informed decisions. And this could result in regulation.

Hopefully this will ensure funeral directors have professional qualifications and training from an accredited board.

Paying for a funeral: who's covering the cost?

Our report shows that 63% of people had put money aside for their funeral – up 1% since 2018. But only 64% of these people had put enough aside to cover the whole funeral.

This year, 69% of families had to pay for some or all of their relative’s funeral themselves. And for 12% of these families, finding the money to pay caused them notable financial problems. On average, they had to find £1,981 to cover the full cost.

How do people find the money to pay?

Paying for the funeral

Took money from savings or investments

30%

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Put the outstanding amount on a credit card

25%

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Borrowed the money from a friend or relative

22%

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Sold belongings to cover the cost

15%

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Borrowed money from a loan provider (for example, a bank)

10%

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Other

12%

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Can't remember

5%

Who should be paying?

When we asked people who should pay for a funeral, 70% said the deceased should pay, 22% felt family and friends should cover the costs, and 8% said it should be the government.

We also asked people if the government be doing more to help with funeral costs. 56% said yes, 26% said no, and 18% were unsure.