The cost of a traditional funeral continues to rise
Hot off the press this week is the release of the latest SunLife Cost of Dying report.
This report has been tracking funeral costs for 21 years and the latest report reveals that:
The average simple attended funeral now costs £4,285– a rise of 3.5% on last year, and a rise of 134% since their tracking began in 2004.
Who pays for a funeral?
According to the report 68% of people make provisions to pay for their funeral before they pass away, but only 56% of those put enough aside to cover the entire cost.
Unfortunately, this can cause financial issues for some families. In fact, 18% of families experience notable financial concerns when paying for a funeral, which results in the following actions taken:
- 33% took money from savings or investments
- 24% put it on a credit card
- 23% borrowed money from a friend or relative
- 19% had to sell belongings to cover the cost.
Direct cremation costs much less…
A direct cremation is an affordable alternative to a traditional funeral that separates the committal and the ceremony. The body is cremated without any service at the crematorium, and usually without mourner’s present. Choosing this low cost funeral option lets you decide how you want to remember your loved one.
SunLife’s Cost of Dying report found that 80% of people are now aware of direct cremations, an increase of 28% on 2019.
The number of direct cremations increased during the pandemic, but they've grown and remained popular ever since, in fact, 1 in 5 people described the funeral they organised as a direct cremation.
Here are some of the reasons people chose a direct cremation:
- 57% were organised or requested by the deceased
- 30% said it was simpler to organise
- 28% said it was less stressful
- 14% preferred to spend the money saved on something else
A direct cremation doesn't have to take place in isolation though, 89% of organisers said they held a small gathering, wake, memorial or combination of these - beforehand or afterwards.
At Pure Cremation, we offer Britain's bestselling funeral plan. Having a plan with us means your funeral is 100% guaranteed and you’re protected against rising funeral prices, giving you lifelong peace of mind.
Pure Cremation has also been awarded ‘Best Funeral Plan Provider’ for 2025.
For more information about direct cremation, click here.
To read the full Cost of Dying report, visit www.sunlife.co.uk