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More people living alone in Germany than in other EU countries

by AI | 03.Jul 2024 | Europe in brief AI

According to statistics from the German Federal Statistical Office, every fifth person in the Federal Republic lives alone – significantly more than the EU average.

According to a study, 20.3 percent of people in Germany lived alone last year. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa

Wiesbaden – Every fifth person lived alone in Germany last year according to statistics. The proportion of 20.3 percent of the population was significantly above the EU average of 16.1 percent, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Tuesday in Wiesbaden.

Only in the five northern or northeastern European countries of Finland, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia did proportionally more people live alone in a household, according to the European statistical agency Eurostat. The share of people living alone in the five countries was between 25.8 percent (Finland) and 21.5 percent (Estonia). The fewest individuals living alone were recorded proportionately in Slovakia at 3.8 percent, in Cyprus at 8.0 percent, and in Ireland at 8.3 percent.

The proportion of people living alone increased in almost all EU states between 2013 and 2023, the Federal Office reported. The EU average rose from 14.2 percent in 2013 to 16.1 percent last year over this period. In Germany, the proportion remained almost constant at around 20 percent during this period.

Older people live alone more often

Older people lived almost twice as often alone as the average of the population last year, the Federal Office reported. In the EU, this affected 31.6 percent of people aged 65 and older, and in Germany, 34.6 percent.

People living alone in the statistics are those who live in a single-person household. Individuals in private main residence households were counted. People in communal accommodations or facilities such as old people’s or nursing homes are not included. (July 2)