The Future of Death Care

In the last article, we explored how older technologies may still shape the future, particularly through the possible return of trains as major transportation systems.

This time, we move into a much more difficult subject.

Death care is something most people prefer not to think about, yet it is one of the few experiences shared by every human society throughout history. No matter how advanced technology becomes, people will still grieve, remember, and search for meaningful ways to say goodbye.

In many ways, the basic process of death care has changed surprisingly little over the past century. Funerals, cemeteries, memorials, and cremation all existed 100 years ago much as they do today.

But there have still been important changes.

One of the largest shifts has been the rise of cremation. While cremation existed in the 1920s, it was far less common than traditional burial in many parts of the world. Today, cremation has become more common than burial in several countries and continues to increase rapidly. In the United States, cremation rates are projected to exceed 80% by 2045 according to the National Funeral Directors Association.

Technology has also changed how people mourn and remember loved ones. Obituaries have largely moved from newspapers to online memorial pages. Funerals can now be livestreamed to family members around the world. Some headstones even include QR codes linking to photographs, stories, and digital memorials.

Even in death care, the digital world has quietly become part of human memory.

As we move further into the future, another issue becomes increasingly important: land.

Traditional cemeteries require permanent space, ongoing maintenance, and expansion as populations grow. In dense urban regions, land is becoming increasingly valuable and difficult to obtain. Because of this, traditional burial may gradually become less common in large cities and increasingly reserved for those who can afford the cost and space associated with it.

This does not necessarily mean burial disappears.

Instead, society may slowly diversify how it handles death care. Rural areas may continue traditional burials, while urban regions increasingly rely on cremation, memorial gardens, or other space-efficient alternatives.

There is also a growing interest in environmentally conscious death care.

“Green burial” practices attempt to reduce environmental impact through biodegradable materials and more natural burial methods. Other experimental methods, such as alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction, are also beginning to gain attention as societies look for more sustainable approaches.

The future of death care may become not only more technological—but also more ecological.

And then we arrive at an even more unusual question.

How will humanity handle death care beyond Earth?

As settlements eventually expand to places like the Moon or Mars, entirely new challenges emerge. Unlike Earth, early off-world colonies will exist inside carefully controlled habitats where space, oxygen, energy, and resources are all limited.

At first glance, cremation may seem like the obvious solution. However, cremation itself requires significant energy and infrastructure. Traditional burial also becomes difficult inside controlled environments where contamination and land use must be carefully managed.

Ironically, as humanity expands beyond Earth, burial may eventually return in new forms.

Unlike crowded urban centres on Earth, worlds like Mars may ultimately have vast open spaces available for memorial grounds once settlements mature. Cultural traditions may also reassert themselves over time. Families often seek permanence, ritual, and places to visit their loved ones. That human desire is unlikely to disappear simply because we leave Earth behind.

The future may therefore become surprisingly diverse.

Some people may choose cremation. Others may prefer green burial methods. Some future memorials may even become partially digital, preserving memories, voices, or stories in ways impossible today.

Technology may change how we handle death care, but it will probably never change why we do it.

At this point in most In 100 Years articles, I usually write a short fictional scene imagining everyday life in the future. But death care is deeply personal, and this topic feels different.

So instead, I would simply like to say this:

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone going through loss. One of the hardest experiences in life is losing someone we love.

No matter how much the world changes in the next hundred years, that part of being human will remain the same.

The future is unwritten, but we can always choose hope.