Russia Funeral Industry Grows Amid Rising Mortality

Increase in Mortality and Shifting Demographics
As of the first half of 2025, Russia has reported a total of 916,000 deaths, as reported by the health ministry. While this number is slightly lower than the total deaths from the same period in 2019 before the onset of the Covid pandemic, the numbers tell a much more serious story when you account for the decline in the total population. Russia's population continues to decline, resulting in a much increased mortality rate as compared to prior years.

According to a demographer from Russia, the rate of mortality in early 2025 was 13.1 deaths per 1,000 residents compared to 12.6 deaths per 1,000 in 2019. Although there was an increase in total mortality of only approximately 1% when compared to 2024, the distribution of where individuals die has changed dramatically. There has been a higher rate of deaths for the population between 15 and 59 years old than for those over 59. Additionally, there is a larger increase in male mortality than female mortality, demonstrating that there is a demographic imbalance between the sexes.

Demographic Consequences of War
A substantial percentage of the increase in the number of deaths is attributable to the continuing war in Ukraine. Deaths categorized as due to "other causes," which most find to be synonymous with military deaths, increased sharply to 102,000 in the first six months of 2025 compared to 67,000 during the same period in the previous year.

Ukrainian military officials estimate that over 1 million Russian military members have died since the war started in 2022; thus, many analysts believe that the war has been a major contributor to increased mortality rates amongst working-aged males. In general, current increases in mortality rates can likely be attributed to the human cost of the war.

Funeral Industry Growth and Changing Customs
The increasing number of deaths in Russia has had a direct impact on the Russian funeral industry. In 2024, the Russian funeral industry had a total turnover of 108.3 billion rubles (€1.2 billion), which was an increase of 7.7% as compared to the previous year. For the first four months of 2025, industry turnover increased by 12.7% as compared to the same period in 2024. The number of newly registered funeral companies increased by 16% during the first half of 2024, indicating a strong level of business activity.

Increasing economic pressures are also changing how people are having funerals. While cremation was once uncommon outside of large cities, families are increasingly using cremation because it is less expensive than burial. Currently, Russia has 38 crematories, and the construction of numerous additional crematories is underway. Funeral directors indicated that using cremation allows family members to place the urn of their loved one in an existing grave instead of requiring the construction of an entirely new memorial. Some instances exist in which family members transported their deceased loved ones to a different city where cremation services were cheaper.

One measure of the increasing demand for cremations is the rising demand for cardboard coffins constructed for use with a cremation. Cardboard coffins are priced between 1,200 and 4,000 rubles (€13–€44), and manufacturers are marketing them as environmentally friendly due to their rapid burning and clean ash. Around 1,000 units are sold monthly, with demand occasionally exceeding availability, indicating that the increasing number of deaths in Russia is changing the customs around funerals.