The aging population in Germany is causing a steady rise in mortality rates, which in turn has clear implications for the funeral services industry. According to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Monday, the number of people undertaking a dual apprenticeship as a funeral expert reached a new high of 900 by the end of 2025. This figure represents more than a doubling of the number of trainees over the past decade, as only 430 were involved in 2015. A notable trend is the increased participation of women; in 2025, 61 percent of trainees in this field were female, compared to 39 percent men, up from 46 percent ten years earlier.
Currently, approximately 32,000 people were employed in the funeral trade in 2024, working across the country’s roughly 4,200 companies. Within this sector, the proportion of marginally paid employees is notably high-41.9 percent-significantly exceeding the overall rate of 21.1 percent in the broader trades. The sector recorded revenues totaling 2.37 billion euros in 2024.
Consistent growth in demand for funeral services, driven by the rising proportion of older people in the German population, continues to challenge the industry’s need for skilled workers. In 2025, roughly 1 million people died in Germany, marking a nine percent increase compared to the 925,000 deaths recorded in 2015.
Despite increasing demand, consumers faced higher costs for funerals in 2025. Prices for coffins, urns, gravestones, and other memorial items rose by 1.9 percent from 2024, while the costs for funeral services and cemetery fees increased by 3.2 percent. For context, overall consumer prices rose by 2.2 percent during the same period.
A significant portion of bereaved families are unable to cover funeral expenses using inheritance funds, personal income, or savings. In 2025, social welfare providers throughout Germany spent 51.6 million euros in gross payments on “social funerals.” This figure represented a decrease of 16.3 percent compared to 2015 (when the spending was 61.7 million euros). Furthermore, in 2025, about 15,400 recipients-including relatives or legally appointed heirs who were obligated to pay-received covered funeral costs, down from nearly 23,400 recipients ten years earlier.
However, funerals remain a source of revenue for local government funds. Municipal treasuries in the non-city states generated 951.9 million euros in 2024 through administrative and usage fees related to cemetery and funeral services. This represents a 2.4 percent increase from 2023 (929.8 million euros) and is more than one-third higher than the 710.1 million euros earned ten years earlier in 2014.
Nationwide, cemetery land covered about 38,500 hectares in 2024, which accounts for roughly 0.1 percent of Germany’s total land area. In addition to these traditional cemetery grounds, an estimated 2,500 hectares were utilized for forest burials in 2024, according to statisticians.
