New research has revealed that £2.3 billion was spent on funerals last year and, despite the fact that fewer people died versus 2023, this marked an increase of over £26m on the previous year, driven by a 3.5% increase in the cost of a funeral.
HaMuch analysed data on both the number of deaths seen across England, as well as the average cost of a funeral, to see how the two have changed over the last decade and just how much the nation spends each year when saying goodbye to loved ones.
The research shows that over half a million people passed away in 2024 (531,953). Whilst this marked a 2.2% drop versus the previous year, it does sit some 13.5% higher when compared to a decade ago.
With the average cost of a funeral coming in at £4,285, HaMuch estimates that we spent a huge £2.279bn on funerals in 2024 and, despite a drop in the number of people dying, this marked a 1.2% increase versus the previous year – that’s £26.5m more.
This was due to the average cost of a funeral climbing 3.5% in the last year alone and the £4,285 that it costs in 2024 also sits some 27.4% higher versus a decade ago. That means it now costs almost £1,000 more to pass than it did just 10 years ago.
London is predictably home to the highest funeral costs at an average of £5,449, however, it’s the North West where this cost has increased the most over the last year, up 13%.
Scotland has also seen one of the largest increases in funeral costs at 7.8%, followed by the East of England (6.5%). Founder and CEO of HaMuch.com, Tarquin Purdie, commented:
“It can be incredibly difficult to deal with the loss of a loved one and amidst the grief we’re also required to plan a proper send off, which can add an additional dimension of pressure at what is already a very stressful time.
Much of this additional stress can come from the cost of planning a funeral and the want to send them off in style versus the reality of what we can afford and in recent years we’ve seen alternative options arise that allow for a far lower cost conclusion.
However, for most, the want to honour our loved ones appropriately still takes precedent and whilst it may not seem like the time to be scouring the internet for deals, a little bit of digging could help you find a more affordable funeral director.
Of course, the last thing you want to do at such a time is sit for hours online and so we launched our funeral director function to allow for a quick and easy search of all the options in your local area.”
