Industry Statistical Information

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CANA is committed to gathering accurate and comprehensive cremation statistics to serve the needs of the death care industry and consumers. Our statistics on cremation are regarded as the most reliable and current available today. New reports are released each year in late spring.

For 25 years, CANA has been collecting death and cremation data from state and provincial vital statistics departments or other designated regulatory agencies in the United States and Canada. From these figures, CANA has determined the annual percentage of cremations to deaths, which includes all the states and provinces. CANA has also been able to use these figures to forecast future cremation percentages.

Annual Cremation Growth Rate

The annual growth rate is the difference between the yearly percentages of deaths cremated that are averaged over a five-year period. The table below shows the rates for the United States and Canada from 2007 through 2023.

Annual Cremation Growth Rate - Five Year Average Canada: 2007, 2012, 2017, 2022

Top and Bottom States by Cremation Percentage

10 States with the highest percentage of cremations in 2021

The five states with the lowest percentage of cremations in 2021

In 2023, the US cremation rate was 60.6% and the Canadian rate reached 75.3%, up from 59.0% and 74.4% in 2021, respectively. By 2028, the US cremation rate is projected to reach 65.3% and 80.2% in Canada. For detailed information about our methodology, contact [email protected].

Download the to the 2024 Annual Statistics Report Summary here.

Complete industry statistical information is only accessible to current CANA members, but everyone can access an abbreviated report here. Please login to view this information or become a member today!

If you are already a CANA member, access current reports here.

Media inquiries should be directed to Barbara Kemmis, Executive Director, [email protected] or 312-245-1077.

Cremation Growth Trends: Speed and Velocity

In order to better understand what factors affect the disparate growth rate of cremation in North America, CANA did some in-depth geographic and demographic research. Our projections show that the national cremation growth rate is reaching its peak velocity and will begin to slow, but cremation rates will continue to grow across most of the country. Some regions are just now entering a period of rapid growth, while others may have already reached saturation. We’ve found that states generally demonstrate a geographic clustering effect, suggesting that what started as individual preference became the norm in the community and heralded a cultural shift to a new tradition: cremation. Cremation will continue to be popular because it is “what we do now.”

CANA’s second step was to look at the speed at which cremation rates grow. While it can take decades for the cremation rate to hit 5%—in the U.S. it took nearly 100 years—when it reaches 5%, the growth rate is more predictable and steady. There is no evidence that this trend will change or reverse, barring the introduction of a new form of disposition. We are currently in a period of rapid growth that will peak around 60% and then begin to slow until it reaches an eventual plateau.

Infographic showing the 2017 Cremation Rate in the Rapid Acceleration phase of cremation growth (53%)

Identifying Demographic Traits

Why are people choosing cremation in the first place? CANA research models demographic traits that correlate strongly with cremation rates. More of the U.S. population has chosen to roam across the country and around the world. Many have loosened their connections to their geographic origins and increased their exposure to new traditions. Conversely, there are significant portions of the population who are rooted to their hometowns and remain deeply connected to the traditions they grew up with.

The graphic below tells an interesting story of demographic factors indicating a break from tradition in opposition to a more rooted environment, each piece just one part of the demographics correlating with higher or lower cremation rates.