The 12 Most EXPENSIVE Funerals Around The World, Ranked

The world's most expensive funerals ever

Funerals aren't cheap. From paying undertakers to buying a burial plot and organizing a wake – the average cost of a funeral in America comes to a whopping $9,420 according to insurance agency Choice Mutual. But as you'd expect, for the richest in society, a funeral reflects their prosperous lives and can cost millions.

From pop royalty to the British monarchy, click or scroll on to find out some of the most expensive funerals of all time in today's money –including last year's funerals of Queen Elizabeth II and Japanese leader Shinzo Abe.

Michael Jackson: $1 million

When Michael Jackson died in 2009 from a cardiac arrest caused by a drug overdose, the world was shocked – especially when the personal physician of the King of Pop was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. However, the star certainly went out in style. The Jackson family funeral ceremony is thought to have cost $1 million, while the Los Angeles government spent an extra $1.3 million on the televised public memorial service.

Michael Jackson: $1 million

It's not a surprise the ceremony cost so much, considering that the gold casket that the star was buried in was worth $25,000 alone. The event was watched by 31 million people.

Winston Churchill: $4.2 million

Winston Churchill's funeral had been in the pipeline for over 10 years before he died of a cardiac arrest in 1965. "Operation Hope Not" was a meticulous plan for the former Prime Minister's state funeral at St Paul's Cathedral, London. It was a spectacular televised affair with a procession through the streets and the unprecedented honor of the Queen's attendance. 

Winston Churchill: $4.2 million

The $285,000 bill at the time is the equivalent of $4.2 million today. Following the ceremony, Churchill's coffin was transported by train to Bladon, Oxfordshire, near to his family estate of Blenheim Palace.

Margaret Thatcher: $5.3 million

The first female British Prime Minister passed away on 8 April 2013 following a stroke, and nine days later was honored with a state funeral. The ceremony, which Thatcher had planned herself before her death, took place at St Paul's Cathedral, London, with 2,000 guests in attendance.

Margaret Thatcher: $5.3 million

The $5.3 million funeral has been calculated to have cost taxpayers 6p each. Elsewhere in the country, however, many celebrated the death of the divisive public figure.

Princess Diana: $8.5 million

In 1997, Princess Diana – the "people's princess" – died tragically aged 36 in a car accident in Paris, causing an emotional outpouring across the world. Her funeral on 20 September that year was televised and watched by approximately 2.5 billion people globally.

Princess Diana: $8.5 million

Diana's funeral cost $6.6 million, the equivalent of $8.5 million in today's money. It included a special performance from Elton John singing Candle in the Wind and was attended by the likes of George Michael, Imran and Jemima Khan, and Sting.

Queen Mother: $8.6 million

Queen Elizabeth II's mother, also named Elizabeth, was known as the Queen Mother. When she died at the age of 101, her 2002 state funeral was televised and is estimated to have cost around $5.8 million, the equivalent of around $8.6 million today. 

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Queen Mother: $8.6 million

Millions lined the streets to see the funeral procession and around the UK people observed a two minutes' silence at 11.30am, the moment when her coffin reached Westminster Abbey.

Queen Elizabeth II: estimated $10.8 million

Twenty years after her mother, Queen Elizabeth II herself passed away on 8 September at the age of 96. The UK entered a 10-day mourning period during which the Queen's coffin was displayed at Westminster Abbey in London. Mourners queued for hours – and in some cases days – to pay their respects to the monarch before her state funeral on 19 September, which was declared a national bank holiday. 

Queen Elizabeth II: estimated $10.8 million

The exact cost of the funeral has been kept firmly under wraps, but estimates suggest it's likely to have cost up to $10.8 million. It was attended by world leaders including Joe Biden, Jacinda Ardern, and Emperor Naruhito. 

Shinzo Abe: $11.5 million

Japanese leader Shinzo Abe was assassinated on 8 July while giving a campaign speech. The country's longest-serving prime minister, Abe was a somewhat controversial figure – and the cost of his state funeral, just over a week after that of Queen Elizabeth II, has proved just as divisive. 

Shinzo Abe: $11.5 million

The affair reportedly cost 1.66 billion yen, the equivalent of $11.5 million. According to a poll by the news agency Kyodo, many Japanese people believe the government spent too much on Abe's funeral, which had a guest list of 700 including US Vice President Kamala Harris. No doubt a considerable portion of the cost was spent on the 20,000 police officers deployed to keep the event secure. 

Pope John Paul II: $11.9 million

From 1978 until his death in 2005, Pope John Paul II headed up the Catholic Church. When he passed away his funeral became the largest gathering of heads of state ever, with 70 presidents and prime ministers, five queens, four kings, and 14 other religious leaders. Britain's then-Prince Charles, now King Charles III, even postponed his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles by 24 hours so that he could attend.

Pope John Paul II: $11.9 million

The funeral was part of the novemdiales, a period of nine days of mourning, and the Pope was buried in a simple underground crypt. His native Poland had requested that his heart be buried there, but Pope John Paul II had expressed a wish for none of his body parts to be removed.

John F. Kennedy: $15 million

The much-loved 35th President of the United States was assassinated on 22 November 1963 while he was in Dallas, Texas. The news of his murder shocked not only America but the world. 

John F. Kennedy: $15 million

After Kennedy's body had been transported to Washington DC, hundreds of thousands of people came to view him and pay their respects. The state funeral took place on 25 November and cost the equivalent of $15 million in today's money.

Kim Jong-Il: $40 million

The Supreme Leader of North Korea passed away in 2011, sparking an atmosphere of mass hysteria and grief. As part of the funeral, which reportedly cost $40 million in total, $1 million was spent on bringing in Russian embalmers to deal with his body, which was then placed in a glass casket.

Kim Jong-Il: $40 million

Millions of distraught mourners came out to watch the procession of their leader's body. Following the funeral, $10 million was spent on a statue commemorating Kim Jong-Il, as well as the addition of his name to major intersections alongside his father's name, Kim Il-Sung.

Alexander the Great: estimated $600 million

Alexander the Great's 323 BC funeral is estimated to have cost the equivalent of a whopping $600 million. However, the price tag isn't so surprising when you consider that he was in a gold casket, on a gold carriage, pulled by 60 horses...

Alexander the Great: estimated $600 million

There are reports that the funerary cart took two years to design and build. It's not known how the body of the 32-year-old Macedon king was preserved, but some have suggested that it might have been submerged in a vat of honey. 

Ronald Reagan: estimated $800 million

Ronald Reagan battled Alzheimer's disease for 10 years before he died from a bout of pneumonia in 2004. His state funeral was one of the most expensive of all former presidents, estimated to have cost over $800 million. The main reason for the high cost? Security, owing to the fact it was the first major event held after the 11 September attacks, and the $400 million lost from the National Day of Mourning when federal workers were given the day off and the stock exchange closed.

Ronald Reagan: estimated $800 million

The state funeral had 700 invited guests, including former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, fellow actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Hollywood actors including Kirk Douglas, Mickey Rooney, Tom Selleck, and Charlton Heston. 

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