What Happens When Cemeteries Run Out of Space?

Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, is among the most hallowed resting places in the United States. Home to roughly 430,000 military members and their families, it stands as a tribute to the legacy and memory of their service.

It’s also running out of room.

The cemetery estimates it will no longer be able to accept decedents by 2041, when all available space for plots will have been filled. Both public and private cemeteries worldwide are faced with a similar problem: As generations age out, there may come a time when we have more deceased than there are burial sites. So what happens then?

1. A Lack of Ground to Cover
2. The Plot Thickens

A Lack of Ground to Cover

Burial space—and the lack of it—comes down to some fairly simple math. According to research conducted in 2012 by urban planning professors Chris Coutts and Carlton Basmjian, 78 million Americans will reach age 78, the average life expectancy, between 2024 and 2042. Their remains would need around 130 million square miles of burial ground—a graveyard that would amount to roughly the size of Philadelphia.

You May Also Like:

• Graveyard vs. Cemetery: What's the Difference?
• 11 Graves in Unexpected Places
• The Scandalous History of Arlington National Cemetery

The problem? No one is sure how much space is available. There’s no centralized data for open plots. But anecdotally, burial space in urban areas is likely to run out faster than in rural regions. In 2024, WPTV in Boynton Beach, Florida, reported that two of the area’s city-owned cemeteries did not have any plots for sale.

“All cities will eventually have to face this challenge,” Boynton Beach Mayor Ty Penserga told the outlet. “Land is limited, and the need for this cemetery plot will always be increasing.”

The problem is due in part to a lack of land in densely-populated areas. If there is ground available, local residents may object to the addition of a cemetery.

The Plot Thickens

So what’s a cemetery to do? Generally, the first step is to maximize whatever space is available. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, for example, may opt to clear trees if the need arises to bury a family member at a national cemetery that’s already been closed because it’s at capacity. Cemeteries may also opt to remove decorative designs or other landscaping.

While this might free up space, it also shifts the tone of a burial site, leveling it of character and creating a more dispassionate environment that’s more parking lot than place of rest.

For families unable to find a burial plot in a preferred location, cremation may become a more attractive option. (In 2022, 59 percent of bodies were cremated.) While cremated remains can be buried, they take up considerably less space. There may also be a rise in “green” burials, which forgo caskets and preservation methods so remains decompose in soil. Both methods typically cost less than a casket and burial.

In the UK, burial space seems to be at more of a crisis point than in the U.S. One 2013 estimate speculated half of all UK cemeteries might be full by 2033. Some cemeteries have taken to double burials: A decedent is lowered further into the ground to make room for a newer occupant above them. But the original grave must be at least 75 years old, and if a family member objects, the stacking method won’t be used.

Some European countries have tackled the problem with stark pragmatism: They offer short-term leases of plots, which can either be renewed or, if not, see remains disinterred and cremated or relegated to less space in another area.

As for Arlington National Cemetery: An expansion project is underway to add 50 acres to the existing 639, with an anticipated completion date of 2028. But even with the additional land, the site still expects space to reemerge as a problem by 2060. So long as the population keeps dying, the problem of capacity will remain.