‘Cost of dying’ in UK hits record level as bereaved turn to crowdfunding to meet bills
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Latest SunLife study shows average total funeral cost at £9,797 with many selling off possessions to help pay. 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.
