The number of funeral directors has grown by 67% in the last 10 years to a total of 3,100, figures from the chamber of commerce (KvK) have shown. In particular,  more women are opting to set up their own funeral firms.

The KvK register shows some 2,000 self-employed funeral directors, an increase of 110% compared to 2014. Two-thirds of all funeral directors are women.

“Many entrepreneurs who are just starting out choose to become funeral directors once they come into contact with the sector, for example after attending a funeral,” said Brigitte Wieman, director of umbrella organisation BGNU.

“They begin by working for a funeral company and later when they have enough knowledge and experience they start their own firm,” she said.

The number of part-time independent funeral directors went up by 150%, the figures show.

“This group is more often involved in the organisational side, such as the transport, the care of the body and conducting the ceremony. Women in particular do this as a part-time job,” she said.

A survey last year showed the Dutch are increasingly opting for more ‘intimate and informal’ funerals, with the traditional coffee and cake making way for drinks and bitterballen.

Locations are also veering away from the traditional, with churches making way for bars, boats, the beach or even discotheques.

The Dutch preference for cremation over burials because of cost and grave maintenance is still growing, the survey found, with 77% of people now opting for the crematorium.

Other trends in the Dutch funeral world include burials in the wild and sustainable mushroom coffins.