Funeral industry: The number of trainees to become funeral specialists is increasing

The aging effect of the population is also noticeable in the funeral industry. The number of funeral specialist trainees reached a record last year. According to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, 860 people were in dual training. This is more than twice as many as ten years previously (2013: 390). The proportion of women was recently 57 percent.

At the same time, the funeral trade recorded higher numbers of employees. According to the data, around 25,700 employees were counted in 2022 – 2.6 percent more than the year before.

In 2023 there were 15 percent more deaths than ten years before

Given the increasing proportion of older people in society, the number of deaths has also increased over the years. According to statistics, around a million people died in this country in 2023 – 15 percent more than ten years before.

The costs of funerals have also increased. According to the information, the prices for coffins, urns, gravestones and other funeral items increased by 5.8 percent last year compared to the previous year. There was an increase of 5.4 percent in funeral services and cemetery fees. For comparison: Overall consumer prices rose by 5.9 percent in the same period.

“In Germany there are burial laws which, among other things, also stipulate compulsory burial and the obligation to have a cemetery,” the office said. The only exceptions to burials in cemeteries are sea burials and natural burials in the forest.

The state is increasingly less likely to cover funeral costs

However, surviving relatives are not always able to cover the costs of funerals. According to statisticians, the state is increasingly less likely to cover funeral costs. Last year, social welfare providers paid 51.1 million euros gross for so-called social burials. That is 15.7 percent less than ten years ago.