ABSTRACT
The value of the Russian funeral market is officially estimated at 65 billion ₽ a year, plus another 250 billion ₽ in the shadow economy in 2019–2020. The ten largest funeral companies in Russia officially earned 6.6 billion ₽ in 2018. A small funeral agency conducts an average of 5–10 funerals per month. Regional differences are significant. In some regions, the funeral market is under the total control of local municipalities. According to researchers, the average cost of a funeral in the city is 70,000 ₽. The main source of income for a funeral director comes from the sale of fixed costs including: paperwork; funeral transport services; and mediation in informal services: between family members and employees of the morgue, cemetery. In rural regions and small cities, most commonly, people do not pay for a place in a cemetery, and the coffin is bought cheaply.
