"The funeral industry is a $16 billion a year industry...The average cost of a funeral is about $7,200... Direct cremation, meaning no viewing or ceremony, is the cheapest option, at just over $2,000. There are more details breaking down what the different parts of the funeral cost at the NFDA website. Forty-five percent of those who died in 2015 were cremated in 2015... projected to be 70 percent by 2030."