The number of so-called 'pauper’s funerals’ and direct cremations are on the rise as Brits can no longer afford the huge cost of funerals.
It has been reported how cheaper alternatives to lengthy services are on the up, as people struggle to financially afford a service to lay loved ones to rest.
Grieving families are said to be selling belongings and raising savings to cover the cost of funerals, according to a report from insurer SunLife.
The report - covered by the Guardian - said the "cost of dying" has hit a record high with a record number of public health funerals, formerly known as pauper’s funerals, which are arranged by the local council for someone who has died without relatives or someone who has no way of paying for their own send-off.
The cost of a basic funeral has increased by 4.7% in a year to reach £4,141, according to the report. In 2004, a basic funeral cost £1,835, which translates to a 126% rise in 20 years – compared with the 72% increase in consumer price inflation over the period.
The report states that many are being pushed "into debt and impacting their mental and physical wellbeing”.
How much does it cost to be buried in the UK?
The most recent stats, provided by funeral experts SunLife, found that the average total “cost of dying” – which includes "burial or cremation fees, funeral directors’ costs, a mid-range coffin, one funeral limousine, a doctor and celebrant, and estate administration fees" – was around £9,658 as a whole package.
In the UK, the average cost of a funeral with just a burial currently stands at £4,794. This is a 5% decrease since 2020, when a basic funeral with burial cost £5,033.
Is cremation cheaper than burial?
Burial fees are much more expensive than cremation fees in the UK at present, as there is no need to pay a burial plot fee with this way of funeral.
Most people, if they opt for a cremation, can choose what to do with the ashes - whether it's keeping them in their homes or scattering them somewhere special to the loved one.
In the UK, the average cost of a basic cremation funeral is £3,673, which is around 30% cheaper than the average burial funeral.
There’s also the option of a direct cremation, which is a cremation without a funeral service and is again much cheaper, costing on average £1,511.
