NFDA Releases 2025 Cremation & Burial Report: Comprehensive Insights to Guide the Future of Funeral Service
Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) has released its “2025 Cremation & Burial Report,” the most comprehensive analysis of consumer disposition trends available to funeral service professionals. The report shows the U.S. cremation rate is projected to reach 63.4% in 2025, more than double the burial rate of 31.6%.
Through state-by-state U.S. projections, as well as data from Canada and worldwide, the report provides funeral directors with the reliable, research-based insights they need to anticipate change, identify opportunities and serve families with confidence.
The “NFDA Cremation & Burial Report” not only offers accurate statistics and projections, but also the broader context that funeral professionals need to make informed decisions for their businesses and the families they serve.
Key Findings From the 2025 Report
- The U.S. cremation rate is projected to reach 63.4% in 2025, more than double the burial rate of 31.6%. By 2045, cremation will account for 82.3% of dispositions, while burials will decline to 13.0%.
- All 50 states and the District of Columbia are projected to surpass a 50% cremation rate by 2035.
- In Canada, cremations are expected to rise to 91.2% by 2045.
- Nearly 36% of member firms already offer online cremation arrangements, with another 25% planning to do so within four years.
- NFDA-member firms continue to identify the availability of qualified personnel as their greatest business challenge over the next four years.
The report goes beyond statistics, incorporating analysis of economic conditions, workforce challenges, consumer preferences and funeral home operational trends. By putting cremation and burial projections in context, NFDA provides members with a sharper, more complete picture of how the profession is evolving and what it means for the future of service.
Accessing the Report and Other NFDA Research
The 2025 NFDA Cremation & Burial Report” is available free of charge to NFDA members and for $175 for nonmembers. Funeral professionals can download the report at NFDA.org/Research. At NFDA.org/Research, funeral professionals can also access a wide range of free NFDA studies and reports, including:
- “Across Borders, Across Traditions: A Global Study of Funeral Preferences” (2025): The first-ever global survey of consumer opinions on funerals, offering insights across countries and cultures.
- “Changing Consumer Preferences: A Generational Perspective on Attitudes Toward Funeral Service” (2025): A groundbreaking study on generational attitudes toward funeral service and evolving expectations.
- “Business Practices Study” (2025): An exploration of how funeral directors are adapting business practices in light of increasing cremation rates.
- “Consumer Awareness and Preferences Survey” (2025): Findings from NFDA’s direct-to-consumer research on evolving funeral service preferences.
- And many more.
These resources are part of NFDA’s ongoing commitment to provide funeral service professionals with high-quality, independent research to help them make informed business decisions and deliver meaningful service to families.
About the National Funeral Directors Association
NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association representing 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit NFDA.org.
