Press Office
Press Office Enquiries - pressoffice@sunlife.co.uk
Reports
Cost of Dying 2025
Both the price of a simple funeral and the total cost of dying are now at an all-time high in the UK.
Life Well Spent 2024
Read the third edition of SunLife's annual Life Well Spent report, looking at the relationship between happiness and major spending decisions in later life.
Cost of Dying 2024
After two years of falls, the cost of a basic funeral in the UK is on the rise again. Meanwhile, the average cost of dying has reached a record high.
Life Well Spent 2023
For the second year running, SunLife surveyed more than 2,000 people over 50 to better understand the relationship between happiness and major spending decisions.
Cost of Dying 2023
In 2022, the cost of dying was £9,200. A basic funeral in the UK now costs £3,953 on average, having dropped 2.5% since 2021.
Life Well Spent 2022
What big spends improve our happiness the most in later life? From holidays to home improvements, we explore which purchases have the biggest impact.
Cost of Dying 2022
In 2021, the cost of dying was £8,864. A basic funeral in the UK now costs £4,056 on average, making it almost half of the total cost of dying.
Finances After 50 2021
In this report, we look at what people aged over 50 in the UK do with their money, including their spending and saving habits.
Cost of Retirement
We asked 1,000 people over 50 about the financial and emotional costs of retirement.
Cost of Dying 2021
In 2020, the cost of dying reached an all-time high of £9,263. A basic funeral in the UK now costs £4,184 on average, making it almost half of the total cost of dying.
Retiring Ageism 2020
SunLife is shining a light on the misrepresentation of the over 50s in Britain, in the hope we can retire ageism once and for all.
Equity Release 2020
A study into what's important to people over 50 when it comes to their finances – and how equity release could help them.
Cost of Dying 2020
The average cost of dying is now at an all-time high of £9,493 - that's a +3.1% increase since 2018.
Ageist Britain? 2019
At SunLife, we celebrate life after 50. In this report, we’re shining a light on the issue of casual ageism and the impact it has.
Cost of Dying 2018
The average cost of dying is now £9,204 – a rise of 57% since we first started tracking the cost of dying 11 years ago.
Equity Release 2018
A comfortable retirement, on the house – attitudes towards equity release among the over 55s.
Cost of Dying 2017
In 2017, the average cost of dying was £8,905 – a 1.2% rise in a year and a rise of more than 50% since we first started tracking the cost of dying 10 years ago.
Cash Happy 2017
An annual report which studies the day-to-day finances of more than 3,000 UK households.