Signal Single-person households rose from 15.5 percent of Korean households in 2000 to 36.1 percent in 2024

Summary

The household overview reports that single-person households grew sharply after 2000, from 15.5 percent of all households to 36.1 percent in 2024. They have become the representative household type in Korean society. The survey adds that Korea shows one of the fastest growth rates of single-person households among OECD countries. It explains the rise by falling marriage, later or no marriage, divorce and separation, and more older people living alone. Because social systems were built around multi-member households, the survey expects this shift to create mismatches in housing, care and social connection.