NFDA report puts 2025 US cremation rate at 63.4%, projects 82.3% by 2045

The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) released its 2025 Cremation & Burial Report, projecting the US cremation rate at 63.4% against a 31.6% burial rate for 2025, more than double the burial rate. NFDA President Christopher P. Robinson said in the release that “as more families choose cremation and other emerging options, the heart of funeral service remains the same: helping people honor lives with dignity and meaning.”

The report projects the national cremation rate will reach 82.3% by 2045, with burial falling to 13.0% — more than six cremations for every burial, the report says. NFDA also projects that by 2035, cremation will account for more than half of dispositions in every US state and Washington, D.C.

NFDA said the report, aimed at funeral directors planning service and facility mix, also includes state-by-state US projections along with data on Canada and other countries. The report points to several factors behind the shift rather than one cause, among them cost, a more transient population and fewer religious objections to cremation.