Why are more and more people writing wills?

The effects of the pandemic, the rise of social media and even TV shows like Succession could all be playing a part

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Do you know what will happen to your assets after you die? You may well do, as the majority of the UK adult population now have a will.

At least 53% say they have made legal preparations for their death, according to the 2024 National Wills Report, with another 9% saying they may have but they’re not sure. That figure rises steeply for the over-55s, 69% of whom have a will in place. But those who are much younger are also thinking about what will happen once they’re gone, with an impressive 41% of 18-24-year-olds having made a will.

These figures contrast with 2018, when the number of people in the UK without a will stood at 60%, the highest figure ever recorded.

So what could be behind this change?

“We'll never know what drives everyone, but there are several factors we could attribute it to,” says Ian Bond, a member of the Law Society’s Wills & Equity Committee.