Average cost of dying climbs to £9,263

The average cost of dying has risen 0.8% in the UK and is now the highest it’s ever been since 2019 at roughly £9,263.

The rise in costs falls in line with the increased amount of deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the latest Cost of Dying report by insurer SunLife, a basic funeral in the UK now costs £4,184 on average, which makes up 45.2% of the total cost of dying.

In 2020, almost 697,000 deaths were registered, compared with the national average of nearly 606,000 each year between 2015 and 2019.

The average amount spent on the funeral send-off has increased by 9.8% to £2,532 which includes the memorial, the death and funeral notices, flowers, order sheets, limousines, the venue and catering for the wake.

Justin Cole, director at SunLife, said: “The cost of a basic funeral has gone up. It’s now the highest it’s ever been. While this figure has risen, our wider focus on the funeral market shows that the rate at which funeral costs are increasing has slowed each year, for the last four years.

“And this year shows the lowest ever year-on-year increase. In addition, the pandemic has changed the funeral industry dramatically, perhaps permanently. Most notably, direct cremations (where families do not attend the cremation, but can arrange their own, separate service) are becoming ever more popular.”

He added: “This increase in direct cremations can’t be solely because of the pandemic. But the lower cost, and the fact that many people couldn’t organise a more traditional funeral due to government regulations, are likely to have been significant factors.”