1.1 Definition and presentation

Funeral services include all the services and products offered to relatives at the time of an individual's death. This is a very sensitive subject for relatives, and the services offered are often extremely regulated by the States, with cultural specificities specific to each country. A distinction is made between services directly related to the deceased (choice of coffin, grave, hygienic care, etc.) and external services such as decorations or flowers.

At the global level, the North American market dominates: the United States is worth more than 16 billion dollars. In Europe, France is the largest market, ahead of the United Kingdom and Germany. Globally, the funeral market has seen a surge in sales due to the emergence of covid-19. The rise in deaths has driven the increase in sales, while public attention has focused on funeral practices, although the increase in volumes remains relatively small and has been concentrated in the second quarter of 2020 in Europe.

In Spain, approximately 1,100 companies operate in the peninsula and the funeral market employs over 11,000 people in the peninsula. The practice of cremation is growing and is chosen by around 45% of Spaniards today, with clear disparities depending on the area. This practice is much more important in urban areas than in rural areas, and in the South of the country than in the North.

In 2023, new trends are emerging, with the digitalization of the sector, the need for more transparency and, above all, the desire of Spaniards for more sustainable and environmentally friendlyceremonies. In fact, the PSOE has recently proposed measures to reduce the environmental impact of the funeral sector.[Niusdiario]

1.2 The global funeral market

In ****, the global funeral market will be worth $**.* billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.*% over the next ten years to reach $*** billion by ****.

Funeral sales growth forecast World, ****-****, in billion dollars Source: ****

There is a strong disparity in the funeral market around the world because funeral ...

1.3 The Spanish funeral services market

According to data from the National Association of Funeral Services - Panasef-, during the year ****, the funeral sector billed about *,*** million euros, ** million euros more than in ****. In ****, with the high mortality due to the pandemic, the turnover of the sector reached *,*** million euros (***). The trend for the coming years remains ...

1.4 The impact of the Covid-19 crisis

According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (***), the Covid-** pandemic has totally disrupted the country's death data. for reference, it should be noted that the number of deaths in Spain in **** was ***,***, an increase of **.*% compared to ***,*** in ****.

By month, the increases in March and April stand out, by ...

2.1 The aging of the Spanish population: a fundamental trend

Spain has a senior population aged ** or over of almost *.** million people, which represents **.*% of the national population. The table below shows the proportion of seniors by age group:

Distribution of the senior population by age group, Spain, ****

Age group **-** years old **-** years old **-** years old **-** years ...

2.2 Evolution of the number of deaths in Spain

According to INE projections, the number of deaths will continue to increase in the coming years due to the changing age structure. Despite the increase in life expectancy, growth will peak in ****. This will result in an estimated increase in the number of deaths of between *.*% and *.*% per year over the ...

2.3 Funeral Service Expectations

The number of cremations carried out in Spain remains stable compared to **** (***) have exceeded **% cremations.although the rate of cremation is increasing rapidly in those localities that install their first crematorium, the rate of cremation is higher in urban areas than in rural areas.

Cremation vs. burial France, ****, in % Source: ****

Incineration ...

2.4 The 12 demand trends

Increase in cremations:

Spain has seen a significant increase in cremation rates since the first crematorium was installed in ****. With *** crematoria, Spain has the largest number of facilities in Europe, more than France or Germany. The cremation rate has risen from **% in **** to **.*% in ****, and is estimated to reach **% by ****. This ...

3.1 Organization of the sector

The funeral director can take care of the entire organization of the funeral.

Before the ceremony, the steps he takes care of can be numerous:

the placing of the body in the coffin, the mortuary cleaning and the supply of the coffins according to the budget and the wishes of the ...

3.2 Typology and dynamics of actors

Number of jobs and companies :

Evolution of the number of jobs in the funeral sector Spain, ****-****, in numbers Source: ****

The number of jobs in the funeral sector in Spain has been increasing in recent years. In ****, companies in the sector employed **,*** workers, which represents an increase of *** over the previous ...

3.3 Geographical distribution

Funeral services companies are mainly located in Andalusia and Galicia, which have the largest number of companies.

Source: ****

3.4 A large capacity in mortuaries and crematoria

Spain has *,*** funeral homes and some *,*** funeral chambers, with an average of *,*** deaths per day (***). The average time a funeral home is rented is ** hours, so the capacity of the facilities is more than six times greater than the demand, if there is no seasonality or peaks in demand.

In the ...

4.1 Main funeral services and rates

Rates :

Prices of burials and cremations in different cities Spain, ****, in euros Source: ****

The prices of burials and cremations vary greatly depending on the city and region. In some regions, the average price of a burial is higher than that of a cremation, in others it is the opposite.

Distribution of ...

4.2 Funeral insurance or funeral expenses insurance

A peculiarity of Spain, unique in the world in this respect, is the importance of death insurance. In Spain, in ****, **.**% of deaths were covered by death insurance, according to ICEA. Unsurprisingly, funeral insurance is the second most important branch of insurance, only surpassed by car insurance. As we see below, death ...

4.3 Family satisfaction

Many funeral homes have implemented user feedback through NPS (***) surveys, a globally standardized measurement system. The NPS measures overall user satisfaction based on a single question, "Would you recommend the company's services to your family and friends?"

According to the annual management reports and annual reports of the leading companies in ...

5.1 Legislation

Royal Decree-Law */**** of * June marked the beginning of a new stage in the activity of funeral companies in Spain. It established urgent fiscal measures and measures for the promotion and liberalization of economic activity, which had a direct impact on the sector. Until ****, the regulation in force was Law */**** of April ...