Burial rate in the U.S. 2005-2040

The burial rate in the United States stood at 45.2 percent in 2015; this figure has been forecasted to decrease to 16 percent by 2040. In 2005 this figure was over 60 percent, roughly four times more than this predicted figure.

Burial rate versus cremation rate

As the burial rate has decreased dramatically in the United States, the cremation rate has perhaps unsurprisingly increased steadily over the last few years. As cremation rates have increased, so has the costs of an adult funeral with a viewing and a burial. This has been a factor in the rising popularity of cremations, as the higher costs of burials are associated with the purchasing of caskets, burial plots, and cemetery maintenance, all of which are unnecessary when it comes to cremations.

International cremation rates

It has not only been in the United States where cremation rates have been on the rise. The cremation rate in Canada has seen a steep increase since 2000, whereas the cremation rate in China has also been on the rise since 2014.