Why cremation is due to replace burials in the next 20 years

Experts predict that within the next 20 years, cremation will rise in popularity to the point where 80 percent of people will elect to be cremated. While there may still be some occasional traditional burials, cremation is going to be the default standard for most people.

Why is cremation on this growth trajectory? And will the momentum ever reverse?

The increasing popularity of cremation

These are just some of the reasons why cremation is becoming more popular while traditional burials are becoming less popular.

      More available options. If you choose to be cremated, you’ll have a much wider range of options than ever before. For example, if you want to store your ashes in a traditional cremation urn, you can customize an urn from scratch – and create a truly unique, permanent resting place. The rise of 3D printing and the availability of online services make it so that you can create almost anything you can imagine. 

You could also have your ashes stored in a columbarium in your local cemetery. And if you don’t like the idea of your ashes being stored in one location, you can have them distributed or reintegrated as you see fit. 

For example, many people have their ashes spread over a favorite natural location, or choose to have their ashes distributed to many different family members and friends. The point is that there’s a much more versatile range of options available if you choose cremation over traditional burial.

      Changing cultural perspectives on death. This trend is also partially motivated by changing cultural perspectives on death. Historically, traditional viewings and burials served a valuable purpose in giving people closure and allowing them to connect with the dead. Today, the concept of death is much more abstract and doesn’t require the same degree of formal recognition.

      Secularization. Less than half of people in the United States regularly attend a house of worship for religious purposes. It’s likely that the number of religious people in the United States will continue to decline in the near future. This increasing secularization is partially responsible for declining interest in traditional burials, as traditional burials often carry religious connotations. Many organized religions have particular rules for when and how the dead should be buried, but in the absence of religious doctrine, people are free to explore other options.

      Environmental protection. Some experts are beginning to grow concerned about the environmental impact of traditional burials. There’s a finite amount of land available to us, and if we fill it up with human remains, it won’t be available for other purposes. Cremation is arguably much better for the environment than traditional burial.

     Relatively easy planning. Some people are attracted to cremation because it affords them an opportunity for easier planning. There aren’t as many details to sort through when you don’t have to plan for a viewing and traditional funeral. Instead, you can choose exactly the products and services you want, with no extra fluff.

     Higher traditional funeral costs. The median cost for a complete, traditional funeral, including both a burial and a viewing, is nearly $8,000 – and there’s a good chance that cost will increase even further in the future. The cost of cremation is typically lower, though it varies depending on what process and storage options you choose. If you’re trying to plan a funeral on a budget, cremation is typically the way to go.

      Momentum and cultural spread. There’s also a kind of self-perpetuation that happens when a cultural phenomenon seizes hold the way cremation has. As more people get cremated, it begins to grow more normalized, and more people grow acclimated to the idea that cremation is (at least in many ways) superior to traditional burial. This creates a snowball effect of popularity, ultimately drawing more people into the fold.

Ongoing forces

The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) currently anticipates that “traditional burial will only account for 24.8% of services in 2030 and 16% in 2040.” It’s reasonable to suspect that this momentum will continue far beyond these target dates, as the advantages of cremation aren’t going away anytime soon; for the foreseeable future, we are still going to want to save money, and trends related to secularization and environmental friendliness are likely to continue.

What could disrupt this momentum?

Is there anything that could disrupt this momentum and make traditional burials the norm again?

Anything is possible, but it would take a massive cultural change to make this happen. There would have to be new, valid reasons for not wanting cremation and traditional burial would have to become more appealing in at least one important way. Failing that, it’s likely that we’ll see more and more cremations in the future.