Country rankings

Cremation Rate by Country

Hong Kong has the highest Cremation Rate in 2023 (97.0%), followed by South Korea (92.4%) and Slovenia (86.7%). Greece has the lowest (4.61%).

Culture69 countries · 4 metricsUpdated Aug 7, 2024Original page
3 sources
22 of 235 countries
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Cremation Rate, 2023

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 22 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
66.0%
Middle half 49.6% – 83.8%
Average
60.4%
22 countries
Highest
97.0%
Hong Kong
Lowest
4.61%
Greece

Over time · 2018–2023

The top 5 in 2023, against the median.

  • Median of all countries
  • Hong Kong
  • South Korea
  • Slovenia
  • Denmark
  • Czechia

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

28 countries · # = rank by Cremation Rate
#
1Hong Kong97.0%59.7K61.6K
2South Korea92.4%326.2K352.9K
3Slovenia86.7%18.7K21.5K
4Denmark86.5%50.5K58.4K
5Czechia85.6%96.6K112.8K
6Sweden84.7%79.9K94.4K
7Singapore81.2%21.8K26.9K
8Thailand80.0%452.8K566K
9Germany76.0%775.2K10.2M
10Canada75.3%245.6K326.1K
11Belgium68.0%75.7K111.3K
12Finland64.0%39.1K61.1K
13United States60.6%1.9M3.1M
14Portugal59.1%3,8146,456
15Iceland52.4%2,2371,173
16Peru50.7%302596
17Norway49.3%21.6K43.8K
18Italy38.2%252.1K660.6K
19Lithuania20.1%7,16735.7K
20Mongolia9.55%1,67417.5K
21Bulgaria6.63%6,644100.1K
22Greece4.61%5,877127.6K
—France——667K
—Argentina——397.1K
—Haiti—296—
—Austria——93.3K
—Luxembourg——4,431
—Andorra——394

What correlates with Cremation Rate (2023)?

Pearson r against 2,004 other country metrics sharing at least 14 countries. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Cremation Rate tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Range and Reach of Services ScoreEuro Health Consumer Index by Country
    r = +0.79 · very strong · n = 14
    Plot
  2. Pharmaceuticals ScoreEuro Health Consumer Index by Country
    r = +0.78 · very strong · n = 14
    Plot
  3. LP Economic QualityLegatum Prosperity IndexA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 22
    Plot
  4. Vacc. Rate ROTACVaccination Rates by Country
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 14
    Plot
  5. Water & SanitationSocial Progress Index by Country
    r = +0.68 · strong · n = 20
    Plot
  6. Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI) ScoreEuro Health Consumer Index by Country
    r = +0.68 · strong · n = 14
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Cremation Rate tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. External InterventionFailed States
    r = −0.74 · very strong · n = 21
    Plot
  2. Out-of-Pocket % of Health ExpenditureMedical Bankruptcies by Country
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 21
    Plot
  3. Heart Disease ASR Death Rate - FemaleHeart Disease Rates by Country
    r = −0.68 · strong · n = 21
    Plot
  4. Heart Disease ASR Death RateHeart Disease Rates by Country
    r = −0.67 · strong · n = 21
    Plot
  5. Heart Disease ASR Death Rate - MaleHeart Disease Rates by Country
    r = −0.67 · strong · n = 21
    Plot
  6. Heart Disease ASR DALYs - MaleHeart Disease Rates by Country
    r = −0.67 · strong · n = 21
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Cremation Rate?
Hong Kong has the highest Cremation Rate in 2023, at 97.0%, followed by South Korea (92.4%) and Slovenia (86.7%).
Which country has the lowest Cremation Rate?
Greece has the lowest Cremation Rate in 2023, at 4.61%.
What is the median Cremation Rate across countries?
The median is 66.0% across the 22 countries with data in 2023.
Where does this cremation rate by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Inernational Statistics 2019 - The Cremation Society; Cremation Statistics in Europe by Country - Tree Urn; Cremation Statistics - The Cremation Society.