Signal Single-person households from 3.4 to possibly 5.1 million by 2060

Summary

The report projects that one-person households could rise sharply, from about 3.4 million in 2024 to as many as 5.1 million in 2060. The main drivers are older people and migrants living alone, and the report also names more divorces and young people moving in together later as causes of household thinning. It explains that household thinning, combined with population growth, drives up the need for dwellings. Together with lagging construction and an inflexible supply, this has widened the housing shortage over the past decade and pushed prices up considerably. The report expects the surge in single-person households to have major consequences not only for the housing market but also for the care infrastructure.