The “cost of dying” has hit a record high, prompting growing numbers of grieving UK families to turn to crowdfunding or sell possessions to help pay for a funeral, according to a report.
The average cost of a basic funeral has increased by 3.5% in a year to hit an “all-time high” of £4,285, according to the insurer SunLife, which has been monitoring UK funeral costs for two decades.
The new record means that the cost of a simple funeral has risen 134% in 21 years, from £1,835 in 2004, compared with the 75% increase in consumer price inflation over the period.
SunLife, whose data is based on interviews with more than 1,500 individuals and families and 100 funeral directors, said 2020 previously marked the highest-ever price for a simple attended funeral, but because of the pandemic and other factors, costs fell in the following two years.
The average total “cost of dying” – which includes a funeral plus professional fees and a wake – has also reached its highest-ever level, at £9,797, after a 1.4% rise last year.
SunLife also found that, last year, Frank Sinatra’s My Way regained its title as the UK’s most-played funeral song, overtaking the Christian hymn Abide With Me, which had held the spot for the previous three years. New entrants to the top 10 included Over the Rainbow, sung by Judy Garland.
Many cash-strapped families experience challenges when it comes to paying for a funeral and, of those, many said they had to raid savings or borrow from a friend or relative.
Last year, one in 16, or 6%, of those citing significant money troubles when paying for a funeral said they turned to crowdfunding to help with the costs – double the 3% figure for 2023.
This rise is reflected in the number of funeral and memorial crowdfunding pages being hosted by fundraising platforms. In the past month in London alone – which is “the most expensive place to die”, according to SunLife – scores of funeral crowdfunding appeals have been launched on the GoFundMe platform.
Meanwhile, the proportion of those facing financial issues who said they sold belongings edged up, to 19% from 18% a year earlier, the latest SunLife “Cost of Dying Report” found.
When asked about their own funeral plans, 92% of those questioned did have a preference. Of those, 26% wanted a direct cremation, where there is no funeral service and no family or friends present, while 16% said they would like a non-religious humanist funeral, up from 9% a year earlier.
The organisation Humanists UK said a funeral conducted by a humanist celebrant “is both a celebration of a life and a dignified, personal farewell”, and could be a good option if the person who died wasn’t particularly religious.
The research also found that, according to funeral directors, a notable trend in 2024 was a sizeable increase in the number of families sharing video links and apps so that relatives and friends who were unable to attend a funeral could watch the ceremony remotely.
Mark Screeton, the SunLife chief executive, said: “It’s so important for people to talk more about their funerals so that loved ones aren’t left to organise things with little idea about what the deceased would have wanted.”
