In religious countries, burial is still the norm; Ireland buries 82% of its dead, Italy 77%. But over half of Americans are cremated, up from less than 4% in 1960, and this is expected to rise to 79% by 2035. In Japan, where the practice is seen as purification for the next life, it is nearly universal. Cremation, direct or otherwise, is not the only rival to old-fashioned burial. A study in 2015 found that over 60% of Americans in their 40s and older would consider a “green” burial, with no embalming and a biodegradable casket, if any. Five years before the proportion was just over 40%.
Daily chart: The business of #death is changing around the world https://t.co/WenwbpRM90 via @TheEconomist #cremation #burial #secularisation #globlaisation
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) April 16, 2018