Death and Dying, Cross-National Perspectives

Death is one of life’s universal certainties, but when, how, and under what conditions an individual dies vary widely throughout the globe. Further, the ways that people think about, talk about, prepare for, and respond to the death of a loved one vary widely across cultures, both within and across nations. We provide a brief summary of the demography and epidemiology of death throughout the world in the early twenty-first century. We then provide a brief overview of cross-national variations in how death is perceived and how decedents are mourned. Finally, we conclude with an overview and cross-national comparison of public policies and practices surrounding death, especially the use of palliative care at the end of life.