Our report Dying in poverty shows the shocking extent of poverty at the end of life in the UK. Nobody should die in poverty, and we're calling for change.
The findings are shocking
At Marie Curie, we've known for a long time that people diagnosed with a terminal illness face financial hardship.
That's why we commissioned research into poverty at the end of life from Loughborough University. The research reveals for the first time not just how many people die in poverty, but who they are and why this is happening.
The findings are shocking: over 90,000 people die in poverty in the UK every year. That's ten people an hour.
Many of these people fall into poverty as a direct result of being diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Working age people hit hardest
People under 65 who are terminally ill are most at risk, with more than one in four (28%) dying in poverty. This makes those who die at working age more than twice as likely to be in poverty than those who die past pension age.
The costs of living with a terminal illness – such as higher energy bills, home adaptations and care – can reach as much as £16,000 a year. These costs, combined with the fact that many people are forced to reduce or give up work, make it no surprise that so many working age people are pushed into poverty after a terminal diagnosis.
The risk rises again for parents with dependent children, with two out of three facing poverty at the end of their lives if they die before retirement age. This can mean entire families living in poverty.
The cost of living crisis
Anyone who has paid a gas bill or been to the petrol pump lately will be well aware that we are facing a cost of living crisis. Financial hardship amongst terminally ill people is an issue that predates the current crisis, but will no doubt be worsened by it.
On average, a person's energy bills double once they're diagnosed with a terminal illness – that's before any recent price rises. As the cost of living crisis deepens, we need decisive action to stop more and more people falling into poverty at the end of their lives.
We're calling for change
Nobody should die in poverty.
It's clear that the current working age benefits system is failing to support dying people. That's why we're calling on the government to give working age people who are diagnosed with a terminal illness access to their State Pension.
Pensions are meant to be there for us at the end of our lives. But if you're unfortunate enough to die before 65, you miss out – even if you've paid into the system your whole life.
As well as State Pension access, we're calling on the government to protect dying people from soaring energy prices and do more to support dying parents with childcare.
Nobody should die in poverty, and we're calling for change. Sign up for campaign updates.
